First the B's, Now the C's?
Almost everyone in America, except maybe for Orlando Magic fans, thought the Boston Celtics were going to win Game Four and sweep the Magic, advancing to their twenty first NBA championship in franchise history. However, that didn’t happen, and although the Celtics are still just one win away from the finals, people are starting to question if the Celtics can hold the Magic off, or if this will be the year for the greatest comeback in NBA playoffs history.
Never in the basketball playoffs has a team come back from a three game deficit and won four games in a row to clinch a seven game series. In fact, this feat is so rare that it has only happened four times in the history of hockey, basketball and baseball. Ironically, Boston teams have been involved in the past two occasions. In 2004, the Red Sox came back from down 3-0 to beat the rival Yankees, at Yankee stadium, and advance to the World Series. Boston’s come-from-behind success was short lived, however, with their Bruins losing in what may have been the most epic collapse in sports history. Not only did the 2010 Bruins have a 3-0 series lead against the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals, but they also had a 3-0 lead in Game Seven, only to lose to Philadelphia 4-3.
With the pain of a series’ collapse so fresh in the minds of Boston fans, it begs the question, are the 2010 Celtics doomed as the 2010 Bruins were? With the Celtics still up 3-1 there is still little cause for concern for Boston fans, but there are things to watch out for. Remember that last year, the 2009 Celtics did not win a series for the first time in franchise history after being up three games to two. Coincidentally, it was the Magic who beat them, and advanced to the NBA Finals, only to lose to the Lakers.
Though the Celtics still have a substantial lead, their inability to close out the series at home in Boston is a cause for concern, and may lead to a serious momentum swing in Orlando’s favor. The Magic came into this series as a substantial favorite, they are the higher seed with home court advantage, and they outplayed the Celtics during the regular season. In these two teams’ four regular season matchups, Orlando won three times. Is the Magic’s regular season domination of the Celtics a sign of things to come, or can Boston hold Orlando off and clinch the series? Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain: Game Five is going to be exciting and must-see action. Boston fans can only hope that this time, history does not repeat itself.
