Growing up in Massachusetts, Super Bowl Sunday felt like a national holiday in the 2000s and 2010s. Normally the New England Patriots would be playing in the big game at night but to set the stage for the evening, the Boston Celtics would play a game on the same day, most of the time in TD Garden. With the Patriots once again making the Super Bowl this season against the Seattle Seahawks and the Celtics scheduled to face off against the New York Knick at 12:30pm a holiday that sat dormant for years is making its triumphed return. I thought it would be a fun exercise to take a look at the history of the Celtics playing on a Patriots Super Bowl and what I found were some iconic memories in Boston history.
There were only three instances in the twelve Super Bowl appearances for the Patriots in their history where the Celtics did not play a game on the same day. The first coming on January 26th, 1997 when New England lost to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl 31. The second was on February 1st, 2004 when New England beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 38. The last occurrence came on February 3rd, 2008 when New England lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl 42.
1/26/1986: Celtics 105, 76ers 103
On January 26th, 1986, the 1985 New England Patriots played in their first ever championship game in Super Bowl 20 against the Chicago Bears. Kickoff started at exactly 3:21 Eastern Standard Time and they got crushed 46-10. Fans in the city of Boston didn’t have to wait long to find a distraction because the Boston Celtics tipped off against the Philadelphia 76ers at 8pm that same night in the Boston Garden.
In a matchup where Charles Barkley and Maurice Cheeks combined for 48 points and Kevin McHale was out, Larry Bird dropped 28 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals on the 76ers but on an off shooting night of 9-25. He was 3-5 from three point range and he had some help along side him with 19 points and 13 rebounds from Bill Walton, 17 points from Dennis Johnson, and 16 points from Scott Wedman who replaced McHale in the starting lineup.
Philadelphia was up 99-98 with two minutes to go, and threatening on the fast break before Dennis Johnson made an incredible block on Moses Malone to keep it a one score game. After some more great defense, Danny Ainge found Larry Bird streaking to the basket for an And-1 on a reverse layup to give Boston a 101-99 lead with a minute to go. The rest of the game ended in both teams taking turns at the free throw line. Boston hit all of theirs while Philadelphia went 3-5 including Charles Barkley missing a free throw at the end of the game to give the Celtics a 105-103 win. The 76ers fell to 29-15 on the season while the Celtics moved to 33-8 on their road to winning the 1986 NBA Championship.
2/3/2002: Celtics 104, Clippers 91
The Celtics and Patriots would not cross paths again until Super Bowl 36 on February 3rd, 2002. Where the underdog 2001 New England Patriots were going up against the St. Louis Rams who were known as “The Greatest Show on Turf” for how explosive their offense was. The Patriots were led by head coach 2nd year head coach Bill Belichick and 2nd year quarterback Tom Brady. But before the Super Bowl was played that night at 6:40, the Boston Celtics had a 3pm matinee matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Unlike the thriller the Celtics played in back in 1986, this game was more subdued with the Celtics taking care of business 104-91. It was a close game going into the fourth quarter with the Celtics holding a slim 81-78 lead. However, the Clippers offense was held to only 13 points on 3-17 shooting in the quarter while Boston rattled of a 19-7 run that was sealed by an Antonie Walker three with 5 minutes to go give Boston the victory. Walker (27 points) and Paul Pierce (24 points) combined for 51 points Boston’s win while Michael Olowokandi led LA with 27 in the loss. The Clippers record moved to 24-25 while the Celtics moved up to 27-20 however neither of these teams would make the playoffs in the 2001-02 season.
Back to the Super Bowl, after the Rams tied the game up at 17-17 with 1:37 left in the game, the Patriots quickly moved down the field to get into field goal range with 7 seconds left in the game. Future Hall of Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri drilled a game winning field goal and for the first time in their franchise’s history, the New England Patriots were Super Bowl champions.
2/6/2005: Celtics 103, Timberwolves 100
We fast forward three seasons into the future for our next double feature and the Patriots are turning themselves into a dynasty. After missing the playoffs in 2002, they came back and won Super Bowl 38 again in the 2003 season and are going for their fourth in three years in 2004 in Super Bowl 39. The Boston Celtics were on the road for this game, playing a 1pm matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
This was a back and forth game throughout and the Celtics took a 101-96 lead on 2 made free throws by Paul Pierce with 1:26 left in the game. Minnesota answered with 2 free throws of their own and Kevin Garnett hit a midrange jumper with 10 seconds left to get the Timberwolves within 1 point. Pierce was fouled on the inbounds and hit two more clutch free throws to give Boston a 103-100 lead with 8.9 seconds left. Out of the Timberwolves timeout, future Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell went up for a game-tying three but it was blocked by Gary Payton to secure the Celtics victory.
Paul Pierce was the leading scorer for Boston in this game with 32 points on 8-16 shooting while Gary Payton also had a big game, with 22 points on 10-18 shooting. Minnesota was led by Kevin Garnett and Michael Olowokandi who both scored 21 points. Both teams records went to 24-24 on the season but Boston would be the only team to make the playoffs from this matchup, losing in the first round to the Indiana Pacers in 7 games.
After that thrilling Celtics victory, the Patriots took on the Eagles for the Super Bowl. Philadelphia had 46 seconds to try and go down the field and win the game but Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb threw an interception to Patriots safety Rodney Harrison 17 seconds , sealing a New England victory. Tom Brady kneeled out the clock and the New England Patriots won their their third Super Bowl in four seasons, cementing themselves as a dynasty.
2/5/2012: Celtics 98, Grizzlies 80
Seven years passed in between the next time the Celtics played on a Patriots Super Bowl Sunday. The Celtics won a championship in the 2008 season with their big 3 of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett but lost in the 2010 NBA Finals and haven’t made it back since. New England had previously lost Super Bowl 42 to the New York Giants in the 2007 season and were looking for revenge in their rematch in Super Bowl 46 in the 2011 season. The Celtics were scheduled to play 12pm game at TD Garden before the very hyped up Super Bowl matchup and took care of the Memphis Grizzlies handedly, 98-80.
After a close three quarters, Memphis ran out of gas in the fourth quarter, scoring only 19 points on 8-26 shooting. Boston was able to capitalize on this by going on a 15-3 run to open up a 23 point lead and give the Celtics the win. Kevin Garnett led the way for the Celtics with 24 points and 9 rebounds on 9-12 shooting with Paul Pierce contributing 21 points of his own. Rudy Gay had 21 points but it was not enough. Memphis would fall to 12-12 on the season on the road to losing in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers. Boston moved to 13-10 on the season and would make the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Miami Heat.
After the Celtics win, the stage had been set for another successful New England double header. The Patriots had a 17-15 lead with 3:46 left in the game. However, Giants quarterback Eli Manning drove New York down the field and into the end zone to give them the lead. The Patriots had 57 seconds left to try and exact their revenge on the New York Giants but failed Hail Mary attempt at the end of regulation led to New England losing the Super Bowl 21-17.
2/1/2015: Celtics 75, Heat 83
Three years later, the 2014 Patriots were once again a power house and back in Super Bowl 49, looking for their first trophy since the 2004 season against the Seattle Seahawks and their “Legion of Doom” defense. The Celtics on the other hand were in the process of a rebuild. The Big 3 were gone and the team was led by Avery Bradley and a bunch of yound players like Marcus Smart, Jared Sullinger, and Tyler Zeller. Before the Patriots game, Boston played a 1pm tipoff against the Miami Heat in TD Garden.
The Heat were up by 13 at halftime of this game before the Celtics started to get hot in the third quarter. They chipped away at the deficit and ended up tying the game at one point before going into the fourth quarter down 61-59. Sadly, Miami responded with a run of their own in the fourth quarter and Norris Cole hit the dagger with a midrange jumper at the 1:07 mark to lead the Heat to a 83-75.
Hassan Whiteside was the leading scorer for Miami with 20 points and Chris Bosh added of his own to increase their record to 21-26. Avery Bradly and Tyler Zeller were tied for the most points for Boston with 17 and the Celtics fell to a record of 16-30. Somehow Boston would make a miraculous turnaround and make the playoffs in 2014-15 season but were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This was the only time the Celtics lost a game on a Patriots Super Bowl but luckily fans in Boston had something to look forward to that night. In another close game, the Patriots took the lead on a Tom Brady touchdown to Julian Edelman with 2:06 left in the game to make the score 28-24. Seattle moved down the field in response and were 1 yard away from winning the game. However, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson decided to the ball and it was intercepted at the goal line by Malcolm Butler to secure the Patriots win in one of the most improbable ways possible.
2/5/2017: Celtics 107, Clippers 102
If I had to choose my favorite day on this list, it would have to be February 5th, 2017. The 2016 Patriots were scheduled to play the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51 at night but the city of Boston was set to honor one man: Paul Pierce. The Celtics were facing off against the Los Angeles Clippers at 2pm and this was going to be the final game Pierce played in TD Garden in his NBA career. Pierce was in the starting lineup for the Clippers and played the first five minutes of the game before being subbed out. In this game, Boston was able to run out with a lead early and never really give it up despite the best efforts from Los Angeles.
Although there was a very entertaining basketball game going on, you couldn’t help but just wonder when former Celtics head coach and at the time Clippers head coach Doc Rivers would put Pierce back in. It was a close game in the fourth quarter so there wasn’t a guarantee that he got a final send off. Luckily, the Celtics were able to expand upon their lead and make it so with 19.8 seconds to go, Paul Pierce checked in at the scorer’s table for the final time to a standing ovation from the TD Garden crowd. Pierce was able to hit one last three pointer as time was expiring for one of the most beautiful endings we have seen for a Celtics legend in Boston.
Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford were the leading scorers for the Clippers with 23 points and Los Angeles fell to 31-20 on the season on the road to eventually being a first round exit to the Utah Jazz in the playoffs. Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics in scoring with 28 points and 8 assists and Boston had six other players in double digit scoring as well. Boston moved to 33-18 on the season and would end up making the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 5 games.
You could argue there is nothing that could possibly top this incredible game from the Celtics but little did anyone know what the Patriots had in store that night. New England started the Super Bowl awful, going down 28-3 at the 8:31 mark of the third quarter. However, something snapped in the Patriots and they started slowly chipping away at the deficit until suddenly, they somehow tie the game with under a minute to go at 28-28 and are going into overtime. The Patriots won the coin toss, drove down the field, and James White ran it into the end zone for the game winning touchdown. This is the second Super Bowl win in the last three years for the Patriots and it capped off maybe the greatest day in Boston sports history.
2/4/2018: Celtics 97, Trail Blazers 96
For the second season in a row, the Patriots were playing in the Super Bowl and the Celtics played in an instant classic. This time the 2017 Patriots were heavy favorites against the Philadelphia Eagles who were starting a backup quarterback named Nick Foles ijn Super Bowl 52. Before that game could start, the Celtics played a 12pm game in TD Garden against the Portland Trail Blazers.
This game was a slugfest all night long and came down to the final seconds of the fourth quarter. With 13.6 seconds left on the clock, Terry Rozier knocked down a tough midrange jumper to give the Celtics a 95-93 lead. However, Damian Lillard responded quickly, finishing a layup and getting the foul. Lillard made the free throw and made it a 96-95 game with 7.2 seconds to go. Out of the Celtics timeout, Jaylen Brown was inbounding and found Al Horford who got it and hit a fadeaway mid range jumper as time expired to give the Celtics a 97-96 win.
CJ McCollum led the Trail Blazers with 22 points and Damian Lillard finished with 21 points in the loss, falling to a 29-24 record that would lead them to getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by the New Orleans Pelicans. Al Horford was fittingly the Celtics leading scorer with 22 points and 10 rebounds on 8-12 shooting. Boston would up their record to 39-15 on the road to an unlikely Eastern Conference Finals appearance where they lost to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 7 games.
If both teams are following the script from last season, the Patriots would find a way to win the Super Bowl that night. Sadly, that did not happen as in a shootout for the ages, Tom Brady’s failed Hail Mary attempt at the end of the game gave the Philadelphia Eagles a 41-33 victory over New England.
2/3/2019: Celtics 134, Thunder 129
For the final Super Bowl matchup prior to this season, the Celtics and Patriots decided to end the trilogy on a high note. The 2018 New England Patriots were in the Super Bowl for the fourth time in their last five seasons and were looking to avenge their loss from the season before against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 53. The Celtics would start the days festivities with a 2pm matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game that could have been a Finals preview.
It felt like the Celtics were in control of this game for the most part but the Thunder were not going away. At the 23.3 mark of the fourth quarter it felt like Kyrie Irving hit the dagger in this game with a beautiful lefty floater to give the Celtics a 129-125 lead. However, Oklahoma City was not done yet as Jerami Grant hit a huge three to make it a one point game. Jayson Tatum was fouled on the next possession where he made the first and missed the second free throw to give the Thunder a chance to win it down by two. Russell Westbrook brought the ball down the court with a full head of steam but lost the handle, turning it over and Tatum hit both free throws on the next possession to end the game in a Celtics win 134-129.
Paul George led the way for the Thunder with 37 points while Russell Westbrook has a 22 point triple-double in the loss. Oklahoma City fell to 33-19 on the season but lost in the first round of the playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers when Damian Lillard hit his iconic buzzer beater in Game 5. Kyrie Irving led the way for the Celtics with 30 points and 11 assists on 14-19 shooting. Boston improved to 34-19 but would lose in disappointing fashion in the second round of the playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks in 5 games.
After a thrilling victory, the Patriots decided to play in a very different way in the Super Bowl. Unlike the season prior where it was an offensive slugfest, this year both offenses were kept at bay by some elite defenses. The Patriots broke a 3-3 tie with 7 minutes to go in the fourth quarter when running back Sony Michel ran it in for a touchdown. The Patriots would be leading 13-3 with 1:16 left to go and that would be the final score as the Rams offense was dominated by New England’s defense. With a kneel down by Tom Brady, the Patriots had tied an NFL record with their 6th Super Bowl victory and cemented themselves as the greatest 20 Year Dynasty in NFL history.
