DON’T WALK ON THE CELTS!

 

   A California  friend was visiting the east coast when the Celtics forced a playoff Game Six in Beantown against the Knicks on May 3. Could the Celtics become the first NBA team ever to overcome a 3-0 playoff series deficit? With visions of the 2004 Red Sox dancing in my head, I paid big bucks for a couple tickets to witness some possible Boston sports magic.

   It didn’t happen. Boston scored just ten points in the first quarter and trailed 45-27 at halftime. The sell-out crowd kept waiting for the Celts to DO something—anything—so they could let some noise and love flow to their heroes, but the home team wouldn’t cooperate.

 

   The lead swelled to 67-47 after three periods. There is nothing better than the sound of the TD Garden exploding with noise, but most of the noise was coming from scattered Knick partisans. I cringed as I imagined Spike Lee watching gleefully on television.

 

   “Let’s give them two more minutes, and then let’s beat the crowd out of here,” I said. “This is too painful. They’re killing me.”

 

   With 9:47 left to play, Iman Shumpert dunked for the Knicks to give the New Yorkers a 75-49 lead.

 

   “Let’s go,” I said. We followed a bunch of other dejected Celtic fans toward the exit and then to the subway station. We boarded the “T” and headed toward Sullivan Square, where my car was parked.  As the subway car slowed to a stop, a guy with an I-Phone said “They’re down by four!”

 

   I was dumbfounded and flabbergasted. Right after we left the Celtics went on a 24-2 run. The Garden surely exploded multiple times. We hustled to my car and turned on the radio. We had just walked out on what was shaping up to be the greatest come-back in NBA history.  By far.

 

   Sadly, the comeback fell short and the Knicks won 88-80. Perhaps it was just as well. While I am very much opposed to suicide, had I missed the Celtics pulling off a win on May 3, I’m pretty certain I would have hung myself and you would not be reading this column now.  Seriously …

(So when I saw the Bruins trailed Toronto 4-1 late in Game 7 at the Garden, I kept the TV on ... and watched the greatest NHL playoff comeback ever!)