This wasn't one of those four-point losses to the Golden State Warriors that left Celtics fans looking forward to the around-the-corner good times. We have seen those before, with matchups against Steph Curry and Co. oftentimes offering out-of-nowhere midseason optimism.
Nope.
The 111-107 Celtics loss Friday night at TD Garden was simply another case of Boston fans pressing their faces against the window, wondering why they can't soak in the kind of fun those Warriors seem to be delivering.
And, no, this is not only about drooling over Steph Curry. Golden State plays defense. Golden State moves the ball. Golden State - which has now won 24 of its 29 games - plays smart basketball.
The Celtics? They play defense once in a while. So there's that.
And before anyone jumps ugly on the argument that this has become more about fawning over the opponent than appreciating the home team because of absences (no Dennis Schroder, Al Horford or Grant Williams), understand the reality.
This was about heart, hustle and understanding how you can actually win with a few super-talented players instead of simply sitting back and hoping isolation-three's will do the trick. Yes, the Celtics tried. Yes, they made a second run. But let's not fool ourselves.
"There’s no moral victories," Smart told reporters. "I think we’ve had our fair share of those. We lost. We definitely did it to ourselves. Offensive rebounding, giving them second-, third- and fourth-chance shots. They outhustled us and they outworked us and Ime talked about it, the basketball gods rewarded them for that. We can put ourselves in that situation.
"It comes to a point now where if you’re not going to play hard, you go sit down. We can take losing but we can’t take losing when it’s our effort."
What this has become is one of those teams - and we have seen plenty of them - where the ticket is more about who it is playing rather than pounding chests because of who is wearing the green and white.
Monday it was Giannis. Friday it was Steph. And while there is undeniable satisfaction when Jayson Tatum (27 points) and/or Jaylen Brown (20) go on a roll, Boston sports fans are smart enough to know when a collective group of players is worthy of its appreciation.
This Celtics team has left its loyal followers either scrambling for excuses or drifting toward apathy.
It's not a terrible team. But in the world of a fan base who were promised that they were going to be the ones envied, not the other guys, it's a terrible feeling.