The first half of Friday night’s game between the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs at TD Garden was bad enough that Celtics coach Brad Stevens’ daughter didn’t even stay to see how the rest of the game would play out.
“I would have left at halftime,” Stevens said afterward. “I know my daughter left at halftime. She’s got stuff to do tomorrow. There was no reason to stay.”
It turned out that, for those who did choose to stick around Friday night, there was plenty to see, after all.
After trailing by as many as 32 points in the first half, the Celtics made a truly improbable comeback, eventually emerging with a thrilling 143-140 overtime victory over the Spurs. Boston’s victory was the biggest comeback by a team in more than a decade, since the Sacramento Kings came back from 35 down to beat the Chicago Bulls in 2009, and the third-biggest in the past 25 years.