Celtics help Boston make history with Game 7 loss, though not the way anybody wanted
BOSTON -- Well, that was bad. With a chance to become the first team in NBA history to win a series after trailing 3-0, the Celtics laid an egg and got blown out on their home court, 103-84. The Miami Heat are now moving on to the NBA Finals, while the Celtics' offseason begins prematurely.
But the Celtics still did help Boston make sports history. Just not the way most people in the city would have liked.
The Athletic's John Hollinger sent out a tweet before the game even ended, noting that Boston is now the first city to ever lose playoff series to eighth-seeded teams in hockey and basketball in the same year.
That is brutal.
The flip side, though, is that both the Florida Panthers and Miami Heat are playing in the final round of their respective postseasons, with the Panthers facing the Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final and the Heat now moving on to face the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals.
Still, the Bruins had completed the greatest regular season in NHL history before they lost to the Panthers in overtime of Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs.
Neither team was a traditional eight-seed. The Panthers were the best regular-season team in the NHL a year prior, before switching out their superstar for Matthew Tkachuk and taking some time to find their new identity. The Heat were also a seven-seed before losing their first play-in game to drop into the eighth seed.
Nevertheless, the Celtics and Bruins were heavy favorites, all the way to the bitter end. (Boston was a 7.5-point favorite over Miami on Monday night for Game 7.) As a result, this spring will be remembered as one of the most disappointing runs for any city in sports history.
