Celtics give Boston a tasty Super Bowl hors d’oeuvre
By Dylan Woods
A few hours before Super Bowl LII kicked off, the Celtics gave Boston fans a preview of what they hope to see from the Patriots.
Some like potato skins and some like pigs in a blanket. But for my Super Bowl party appetizer, I’ll take the Boston Celtics. There is nothing you can serve that evokes the same feeling as a comeback win.
It looked like the Trailblazers were going to take advantage of a hobbled Celtics backcourt.
The C’s were without Marcus Smart, Kyrie Irving, and Shane Larkin once again. The Blazers stretched their lead out to almost 20 in the first half and led 54-38 at half.
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But in the second half, the Celtics found something. Terry Rozier, Al Horford, and Jayson Tatum started to get hot and all of a sudden we had a back and forth game. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum did their best, but there was something they did not remember: you can’t expect to beat a Boston team on Super Bowl Sunday.
Even after Damian Lillard’s and-one put Portland up one with seven seconds left, the Celtics did not show any signs of breaking down. Like Tom Brady leading a fourth quarter comeback, Al Horford stayed calm under pressure.
Al Horford sends Boston fans home happy pic.twitter.com/WGntrA6af1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 4, 2018
For the Celtics, this win further proves why they should be the favorite to come out of the East. One day after another Cavs blowout loss, they beat a top tier team in the West without their best player and key bench guys.
Next: Boston Celtics: Deep bench proving worth through bout of injuries
Even without thinking of June aspirations, this game was a thrill to watch. The Celtics keep one-upping themselves in terms of likeable teams. Not many sports towns would be so invested in a regular season game at noon when their football team is playing in the Super Bowl later that day. Only this team is something special.