Pop quiz, Celtics fans: What’s special about Feb. 29? It’s not just Leap Day — it’s also a potential lucky day for the Celtics… or maybe it’s cursed.
Flash back to Feb. 29, 1984 when the New York Knicks beat the Celts 102-98. This historic loss broke a winning streak that dates back to when the NBA was formed.
It would be another 20 years until the Celts played on a Leap Day again. On Feb. 20, 2004 Boston played against the Toronto Raptors and won. This game would trigger a winning streak that would last until Feb. 29, 2020. Read: We didn’t lose a Leap Day game from 2004-2020.
Sadly, 2020’s Leap Day was the day the Houston Rockets beat the Celtics by one point. The final score was 111-110. And on our home court, no less.
Check out our interactive timeline below marking every Leap Day game, all the way back to the early years of the NBA.
Will last leap year’s loss trigger a drought? Only time will tell. For the first time since the 2000 leap year, the Celtics don’t have a game today. We’ll check back in for the next leap year: 2028.
