Thanks to Kelly Olynyk, Isaiah Thomas and the Boston Celtics, sports fans in our nation’s capital were dealt yet another dose of playoff disappointment Monday night.
Since the Washington Capitals lost in the 1998 Stanley Cup Final, none of Washington, D.C.’s four major professional teams have even reached the final four of their respective sports. Boston teams, meanwhile, have done so a staggering 24 times during that span.
The Capitals have flamed out in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs six times since then, often in heartbreaking fashion. The Wizards, who lost to the Celtics 115-105 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, have gone down in the East semis four times, including in three of the last four years.
Over in the NFL, the Redskins twice have fallen one game short of the NFC Championship Game, and Major League Baseball’s Nationals haven’t tasted the National League Championship Series since relocating from Montreal, losing in the NLDS three times in the last five years.
Now compare that to this (championships marked with asterisks):
New England Patriots (11 final four appearances): 2001*, 2003*, 2004*, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014*, 2015, 2016*
Boston Red Sox (6): 1999, 2003, 2004*, 2007,* 2008, 2013*
Boston Celtics (5): 2002, 2008*, 2010, 2012, 2017
Boston Bruins (2) 2011*, 2013
Sorry, D.C.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
