Fans in every variety of Boston sports gear — jerseys of their favorite Celtics, T-shirts sporting a black-and-white photo of Celtics guard Derrick White, or just their finest Tom Brady Patriots jerseys — packed onto the train.
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“We did it!” shouted Jacob Champagne, 22, of Norwich, imitating Jayson Tatum’s exclamation after securing the championship Monday night.
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Many fans bore Dunkin’ iced coffees, but it was obvious that many had also pregamed with alcohol, in the Braintree parking lot or at home. Others continued to pregame on the hourlong ride to Park Street, the occasional nip bottle dropping to the floor. Body odor mixed with occasional cigarette smoke and the sweet smell of energy drinks.
A few young non-fans, draggedalong by parents escorting die-hard siblings, lamented that their first day of summer was being spent this way.
“I’m the only one that’s a fan,” said Robert Leroux, 18, of Fall River, who was heading to the parade with his three brothers and his mom. “They should care, but it’s up to them.”
Sweat beaded on faces as the train trundled along. Parents tried to wrangle their kids into available seats, while the few apparent commuters hunched down, trying to be as small as possible on their way to work. Infrequent MBTA riders strained to see the route maps and repeated aloud their destinations — never mind that everyone was going to the same place.
“It’s so hot,” one fan was overheard saying.
“Crowd the doors so nobody gets on,” said another as the train approached a station.
But when the doors opened, and excited shrieks erupted from another car, the tune changed — “I want to be on that train,” said one rider.
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Natalie Ganley, 25, of Weymouth, praised the teenagers on her train for their energy.
“The high school kids were waking me up nice and early,” she joked. Many of those kids were seeing the first Celtics championship of their lives, or the first they were old enough to remember.
“They were punching the ceilings, chanting, ‘Let’s go Celtics,’ kicking the doors,” she said. “It was a little rowdy. We deserve it — we’re champions!”
Ciara McMenamin, 16, of Holbrook, said it was too expensive for her to attend any games in person, so she was especially excited to go to the parade and see the players in person. She and a friend were on their way to their first parade without adult supervision.
As they proceeded inbound, fans chatted about their favorite Celtics and moments from the NBA Finals. Jaylen Brown — and his clutch 3-pointer in Game 1 against the Pacers — was the favorite, although White, Jrue Holiday, and even Luke Kornet got shouts. One fan complimented another on his T-shirt, which featured Celtics archvillain Kyrie Irving wearing a clown nose.
“I’ve been on top of the world for the last week, it’s amazing,” said Tyler Pinheiro, 18, of Marshfield.
Making it particularly sweet was topping the Lakers in the number of NBA championships (18), Pinheiro said.
“I’ve made peace with Kyrie,” he said. “But being over the Lakers ... Ever since they won in 2020, people keep saying they’re the best team.”
Pinheiro had one tip to fellow fans: Don’t do anything dumb at the parade. At one of the Patriots parades, he said, he saw some people get arrested.
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“Go C’s!” he said. “We’ll be back next year.”
Agreement on that was near-universal: As long as the Celtics brought back White, their biggest piece outstanding (other than Tatum, whom they are certain to extend), the Celtics should keep winning.
Related: Your complete guide to the Celtics parade
“They got to re-sign my boy Derrick White,” said Tony Achille, 22, of Hingham.
“I’m looking forward to banner 19,” added his friend, Matt MacDonald, 22, of Weymouth.
As the train doors opened at Park Street, a fan filming the crowd on a selfie stick led a shout-sung rendition of “Seven Nation Army,” by The White Stripes.
Tiffanie Pierce, 43, of Weymouth, said she had been to multiple games during the playoffs — against the Heat and Pacers — and was excited to see the players again.
“The best part is being so close to the players, and seeing how excited they are to be with us,” Pierce said.
Christopher Huffaker can be reached at christopher.huffaker@globe.com. Follow him @huffakingit.
