The night of last Tuesday, June 17, will be remembered as one of the best nights for the Celtics, for the city of Boston and for NBA basketball itself. It was a night in which the greats of Boston made history again, in which all basketball fans could not help but remember the golden age of the Celtics and the significant legacy they have left in the sport.
With this season’s Playoff Finals being determined between the all-time rivals Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, this was expected to be a grand finale, filled with memories and emotions. And that was just what happened.
The NBA Finals Championship Series has kept spectators on the edge of their seats since Game 1, when for a moment Boston thought they would lose their captain Paul Pierce when he collided with teammate Kendrick Perkins and had to be carried and wheeled out. he chairs with a sore knee in the middle of the third quarter. However, Pierce came back in the fourth quarter with only 5:04 minutes left in the game, inspiring his team to finish with their first win of the series. They also secured home-field advantage by winning Game 2, where Pierce led his team with 28 points to go into Game 1 in Los Angeles with a 2-0 lead.
The Lakers managed to get through Game 3, taking out the series 2-1 and then in Game 4 the Los Angeles team was in control with a comfortable 20-point average difference during the first half of the game, however, remembering the good old days, the Celtics wrote another page in the tradition of the league’s most famous rivalry when they pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in Finals history, rallying from a 24-point deficit to win the game 97-91, taking commanding the series 3-1 and leaving the Lakers one loss away from elimination on their home turf.
Game 5 started similarly to Game 4, the Lakers won by over 20 points in the first quarter and although the Celtics managed to bounce back earlier and the score was pretty much even for most of the game, the Lakers didn’t let Boston do it. . they opened any bottle of champagne at their home court and won the game 103-98, taking the series out 3-2 and moving East again for Game 6.
And then finally came the night Boston had been dreaming of for the last 22 years. In Game 6 at home, the Celtics, cheered on by an emotional crowd filled with elated and proud fans chanting “Beat LA” and “Seven-teen”, were absolutely dominant in every way; his defense was unbreakable and his attack unstoppable, finishing the game with 48 rebounds, 14 of them offensive. With an increasing scoreboard lead from the early stages of the game, the crowd and the team itself began to celebrate from the beginning of the fourth quarter, anticipating the stunning 131-92 victory. Green was back in the NBA.
Another page has been written in the most winning franchise in NBA history and there are images that document the emotions of the protagonist, such as when the MVP of the 2008 Finals, Paul Pierce, gave a bath of Gatorate to his very fine coach Doc Rivers minutes before reaching the championship. ; or when Kevin Garnet collapsed on the court with tears of happiness and then hugged former Boston star and 11-time championship winner Bill Russell. These images will remain in the minds of every Boston fan for years to come as the biggest comeback in the league.