The Boston Celtics choked away a commanding 22-point lead tonight, allowing the Detroit Pistons to pull off the largest comeback in Opening Day history since the NBA started tracking play-by-play in 1997. What started as a tone-setting victory for Boston quickly spiraled into a monumental collapse, leaving them with nothing but a big fat disappointing loss in their season opener against the Pistons.
Paul George Went Off, But It Didn’t Matter
Early in the third quarter, things were looking great for the Celtics. Paul George hit his third straight triple with 8:32 left, pushing Boston to a commanding 72-50 lead over Detroit. He was absolutely balling out, finishing the game with an incredible 38 points, five rebounds, five steals, and seven threes. The guy gave it his all, no doubt. But that heat-check three from George turned out to be the last bit of fun for the Celtics, because that’s when everything went sideways. The Pistons, led by Duncan Robinson who exploded for 21 points (15 of them in the fourth quarter), went on an absurd 71-41 run to close out the game. Twenty-two points up, and they still let it slip away. Unbelievable.
Same Old Story For Boston?
You’d think after last season’s epic flameout, they’d have learned their lesson, right? Ironically, the Celtics are kicking off their 2026-27 campaign exactly how they ended the last one: with a monumental collapse. Last spring, they couldn’t finish off a commanding 3-1 lead over the 76ers, which apparently gave the front office the green light to make “serious changes.” They traded Jaylen Brown, who’s out there warming up for his Sixers debut at Madison Square Garden tonight, for George. And honestly, George wasn’t the problem here at all.
But even with a new star, the way Boston fumbled this game felt way too familiar. This 22-point blown lead is their largest since they blew another 22-point lead against the Cavs back on February 28, 2025. Last season, including playoffs, the Celtics were 38-0 when leading by 20 or more points. That stat means nothing now. Even though they still held a 12-point lead early in the fourth quarter, they failed to secure the win. Just like Game 5 against Philadelphia last spring, or Games 1 and 2 against the Knicks in 2025, they couldn’t stop the bleeding. Detroit was getting out in transition, hitting clean looks from deep, and there was absolutely no calming presence on the floor for Boston to do anything about it.
The Celtics are heading back to Boston with that crushing loss hanging over them. After moving on from Jaylen Brown for Paul George, who absolutely showed up tonight, you’d think things would be different. But with an opening day collapse like this, reminiscent of previous failures, Boston’s got to find that calming presence and figure out how to close out games ASAP.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Celtics Blog.
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