The Boston Celtics have a chance to win an NBA title on their home floor, but for all the wrong reasons. Boston lost in historic fashion up 3-0 in the 2024 NBA Finals in Game 4 Friday night. Securing a championship will now have to wait until at least Monday, when the Celtics host the Mavericks for Game 5.
Sweeps are rare in the NBA finals. The Golden State Warriors were the last team to pull this off back in 2018, and it has only happened three times this century. That said, Boston had their brooms at the ready given how dominant they had been through the first three games of the series. Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum looked especially antsy in the early moments of Game 4, and Boston perhaps got a little too eager to close things out. Winning a ring would be a huge milestone for Tatum, after all, but he told reporters after the game he’s expecting to take care of business Monday back in Boston.
In particular, Tatum said he expects to get a lift from the home crowd.