BOSTON -- John Holland knows how important basketball can be in Boston. He was a freshman at Boston University in 2008 when the Boston Celtics won their 17th NBA championship. Maybe that's why, eight years later, Holland seemed a bit a wonderstruck standing inside the Celtics' locker room before his first regular-season game with an NBA team.
The Celtics signed the 27-year-old Holland out of the NBA Development League on Monday. He'll spend the final two games of the 2015-16 regular season with Boston, be part of the team throughout its playoff voyage, and then compete for a roster spot this summer with a deal that won't be guaranteed beyond this season.