If you ask Celtics fans what the 2009-2010 season’s NBA game of the year was, you’ll likely get an answer different than what was given that title following an NBA.com fan vote.
The Celtics’ loss in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers is still etched in the mind of C’s fans, regarded as one of the worst losses in franchise history. Despite that, the Lakers’ 83-79 win to clinch the title was voted the season’s best game in the recent poll.
Surely, Lakers fans must have stuffed the ballot box, as the Lakers’ 90-89 win over the Celtics on Jan. 31 at the TD Garden also cracked the top 10, coming in at No. 4.
In Game 7, of course, the Celtics led by as many as 13 in the second half before the Lakers rallied for the nail-biting win while capturing their 15th NBA Championship.
During the Jan. 31 game, the Celtics also relinquished a big second-half lead when they blew an 11-point fourth-quarter advantage. Paul Pierce was called for an offensive foul with a one-point lead with less than 30 seconds to play, and Kobe Bryant eventually sank the game-winner with 7.3 seconds left.
Celtics fans would be happy to know, though, that one of the team’s wins also made the list. Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which featured a triple-double from Rajon Rondo, checked in at No. 5. The Celtics won that game, 97-87.
