Despite the recent title parade drought, there still may be no more a spoiled fanbase in all of sports than Boston. Though all the titles of this century across the four major sports are starting to become rearview mirror spectacles, there are two teams in town, who happen to share the same home venue, who are both the best in their respective leagues right now.
Both the NHL’s Bruins and NBA’s Celtics have a legitimate shot of raising their next banner this season. Not to put the duckboat before the horse, but Saturday night featured games that championship memories are built on. Or at least was a hell of a great night to watch your local teams in action.
First the Bruins, fresh off a significant trade that brought edgy defenseman Dmitry Orlov and right winger Garnet Hathaway to town, were in Vancouver to take on old foe the Canucks. Vancouver is not having a marquee season, still it’s a road game in front of a hostile crowd (they may never forget June 2011 as much as we’ll always cherish it) and the Bruins as top team in the league will wear a black and gold bullseye on them all season long.
A hard-fought game saw the Bruins up 2-1 with just a few moments remaining, the Canucks having pulled their goalie, Arturs Silovs. And then, with under a minute to go, the unique, memorable and almost unthinkable happened.
Goaltender Linus Ullmark, already having a season for the ages as Vezina Trophy frontrunner, ices the game with a full-ice empty-netter, the first goalie goal in Bruins history. It was a thing of beauty that left the fans in attendance stunned, the Bruins bench buzzing and Bruins fans all over blown away.
The Bruins lead the NHL in wins and winning percentage, one of the best regular seasons ever at hand, rocketing toward what might be an incredible Stanley Cup Playoffs.
And then the Celtics said, “Hold my overpriced beer.”
The nightcap was Boston vs. Philly, Celtics vs. 76ers, a classic NBA matchup, with a primetime broadcast on ABC. This looked to make for a great showdown of old foes and the Eastern Conference’s top and third-seeded teams, respectively. The Celtics were up two games to none on the season and were looking to distance themselves from the Sixers as well as keep the surging Milwaukee Bucks behind them in the standings.
The game itself lived up to the hype, a tremendous back and forth affair that saw each team build, and squander, double digit leads in the second half. The Celtics were down by 15 in the third but ended the period on an 18-3 run. Despite Jayson Tatum having an off night by his standards (he finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds), the C’s were tooth and nail down the stretch, holding the slimmest of leads until Joel Embiid (a monster of a night he’ll sadly hope to forget) tied the game with two free throws at 107 apiece.
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla did the unthinkable and called a timeout, drawing up an inbounds play with under 15 seconds remaining. Philly had a foul to give, and did just that, setting the stage with just under six seconds remaining for an ending unlike any regular-season finish you may see anytime soon.
Tatum’s three was epic enough to remember the ending. That Embiid swished a 70-foot three that didn’t count right after was beyond surreal. Said the Sixers star, who finished with 41 points on the night, “Unfortunately, the story of my life.” A finish unfitting of his effort, yet an ending for the Celtics that could well be part of a season to remember.
If those two epic finishes weren’t enough to send the Boston sports superfan to bed on Cloud Nine…even the local pro soccer team, the New England Revolution, won their season debut. And in thrilling fashion with just a few minutes left in regulation.
The win was in front of an MLS record 65,000-plus fans in Charlotte, no less. Which may be more people than were watching live back home in New England. Nevertheless, a terrific start to the season for the Revs.
And to top it all off, the Red sox started their 2023 campaign with their Spring Training debut, which also had a memorable finish…albeit for a truly unique and surreal reason.
No playoff games were won, no championships were secured, yet Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023 was about as memorable, entertaining and unforgettable as regular-season days get for the local sports fan. Should the Bruins and Celtics reach their goals and fulfill their destiny this season, we'll likely look back on Saturday night as one of those nights that happen in championship campaigns.
For the time being, though, let’s just soak in what fun watches they were and how rewarding it feels to be a fan in the greatest sports city in America. And maybe don’t make any plans to be out of town in June just yet.
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