The Warriors have been so good this season that their losses have become historic as well. The Boston Celtics who are working their way back towards being contenders proved they are ready to hang. The Celtics handed the Warriors their first loss in the Bay Area since January 27, 2015. The streak had reached 54 home games. The Warriors are still trying to break the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls regular season record of 72-10, however, that goal become a little bit harder. The team’s record sits at 68-8 with just six games remaining, including two against their biggest foe, the San Antonio Spurs.
The Celtics won this game in dramatic fashion because that is the beauty of sports. With the Celtics up one and just over eight seconds left remaining, Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas made a clutch layup off an inbound pass from Marcus Smart to put Boston up 109-106. The Warriors had their chance at tying the game, but could not hit a signature three as the team was handed their eighth loss of the season.
In the Eastern Conference with no clear-cut dominant team as the Cavaliers struggle down the stretch, the Celtics have asserted themselves as a team ready to compete now. After this big win, Thomas spoke with the media about his team, “We know we can beat the best teams in the league. In our schedule, we beat a lot of the top teams. And we know we can compete. And we know we’re a team that guys don’t really want to play when it comes to the playoffs, just because of how we play and how hard we play.” Thomas finished the game with 22 points, scoring 18 in the third quarter. The Celtics play the Lakers tomorrow night while the Warriors welcome the Trail Blazers tomorrow night.