The Boston Celtics may still be alive in the NBA Playoffs, but they're embarrassing themselves far more than the Los Angeles Lakers did with their early exit.
On Wednesday night, the Celtics completed one of the most unbelievable feats we'll ever witness in the NBA Playoffs: For the second game in a row, they blew a 20-point second-half lead to the New York Knicks. At home.
In Game 1, the Knicks erased a 75-55 deficit in the final 18 minutes of regulation. They won 108-105 in overtime. "Hey, the Celtics missed 45 three-point shots and still only lost by three in overtime," said all of Boston, looking on the bright side on a dark night. Around the corner was another storm.
In Game 2, the Knicks erased a 70-50 deficit in the final 16 minutes of regulation. They won 91-90. I'm not sure what kind of rationalizations Celtics fans are going to be able to come up with for this one.
The Celtics didn't miss 45 threes again, at least. They only missed 30, shooting 25 percent from distance. It was another rough night for Jayson Tatum, who managed only 13 points on 5-of-19 shooting. His 14 rebounds and five assists didn't make up for that flat scoring performance. It was hardly the playoff showing of a bonafide NBA superstar.
To be fair, Lakers fans can't beat their chests too loudly after their team flamed out of the playoffs with a 3-1 series loss to the Timberwolves. And LA blew their own 20-point lead last season against the Denver Nuggets.
Still, they've never blown back-to-back 20-point leads in the playoffs. No one has. That's a distinction the Celtics hold alone.
The Lakers-Celtics rivalry is as fierce and tightly-contested as there is in sports. Boston currently has the edge in championships with 18. Los Angeles has 17 and they won't be tying it up this year. Still, with Luka Dončić on board, hope of adding to that total in the near future is high. If nothing else, the Lakers can bring a new piece of ammunition to the debate with one simple phrase: Back-to-back 20-point leads.