When Celtics Fans Went Too Far

When Celtics Fans Went Too Far Thirty years ago, Celtic Pride propelled Dan Aykroyd and Daniel Stern to kidnap the rival teams star to help Boston win the NBA Finals.

Damon Wayans as an NBA star kidnapped by Dan Aykroyd and Daniel Stern in Celtic Pride, which scores some sure comedic points, according to THRs review.

Its box office said otherwise.

Just as Boston Celtics fans presumably didnt relish seeing their rival New York Knicks defeat the Spurs in this years NBA Finals, they also might not want to be reminded that the Beantown-focused basketball comedyand Daniel Stern as devoted Celtics fans who inadvertently kidnap Utah Jazz standout Lewis Scott in their efforts to help their team win Game 7 of the Finals..It marked an early screenwriting credit for Judd Apatow, who collaborated on the movies story with friend Colin Quinn.

De Cerchio recalls working on script rewrites at Apatows home, which he had recently purchased from mentor Garry Shandling, and that after a week, Apatow needed to fly to the Vancouver set ofto help former roommate Adam Sandler with punch-up.Rather than shun me, Judd immediately invited me to hang out with Adam, Jack Giarraputo and the rest of their crew, De Cerchio tellsJimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel Revel in Knicks Win: "It All Feels Bigger Than Just Sports" Wayans trained with college players Kevin Bennett and Burt Harris Jr.

to improve his on-court skills before the movie shot for a month at the Boston Garden, the former home of the Celtics that was soon to be demolished.

All I remember is the pain, Wayans said back then about the grueling shoot that included cameos from Celtic legends Larry Bird, Bob Cousy and Red Auerbach.Even guys in the NBA dont play basketball for 12 hours a day.

s review noting that it suffered from uneven tonal shifts.

For his part, De Cerchio fondly remembers bonding with the Boston extras who filled the arena: Im still bummed for them that the film didnt come out better.

The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation.

2026 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC.