The late Red Auerbach of the classic Boston Celtics teams earned a reputation for giving visiting teams less than a gracious welcome upon reaching the Garden for a game. You’ll hear stories of showers in the visiting locker room that suffered an unfortunate lack of hot water, or of nights where mysterious sauna-like conditions sapped the energy right out of the Celtics’ opponents.
HVAC doesn’t often make the sports pages, but readers of a certain age may have experienced a little déjà vu when the air conditioning went AWOL in Game 1 of the NBA Finals last month. Ironically, the heat took its toll on the Heat, with Miami’s LeBron James cramping up and missing some time in his team’s first loss in a series that would lead to a San Antonio championship.