The Boston Celtics punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals on Wednesday night with a dominating win over the Miami Heat. The Celtics knocked Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler out of the playoffs for good with 25-point performances from Derrick White and Jaylen Brown.
The game also brought with it the end of an era as Celtics announcer Mike Gorman shared his viral, emotional farewell after a legendary career. The Gorman news came with an injury update on star center Kristaps Porzingis. The Celtics' future outlook without ‘The Unicorn' was also discussed.
As the action unfolded on Wednesday, countless thousands of Celtics fans couldn't help but become caught up in Gorman's farewell, which came complete with player shout-outs from some of the franchise's biggest names.
Gorman's Farewell Goes Viral
Gorman's farewell came after a 43-year run as the voice of the Celtics. Because the Celtics won, it was Gorman's final game, as local broadcasters lose the rights to NBA games after the first round. The broadcasting legend told Sports Illustrated that he “felt like (he) was losing touch with the game” adding that it was not just with the Celtics but the entire NBA.
“And I had spent close to 40-odd years now, having my life dictated by in July when the Celtics scheduled would come out,” Gorman said.
While scraping snow off his car one day, his truth hit him.
“It's about 3:30 in the morning, we're in Hanscom Air Force Base. It's snowing like a bandit. And I'm getting in the car. I'm saying to myself, ‘Michael, you're 70 years old. What are you doing here? What are you doing?”
The farewell video was shared on Twitter and includes many wonderful tributes.
“The voice of so many different eras, man,” Pierce said about Gorman's retirement.
“Thank you man, enjoy your retirement,” former Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.
“One of the true blessings in life has been being able to tell people that Mike Gorman is my friend,” Mike Breen, an ESPN announcer, says in the video, which kicks off with Paul Pierce sharing his heartfelt thoughts.
Gorman's Classic Voice Will Be Missed
A sound bite from the legendary, late Celtics announcer Tommy Heinsohn was also included in the video, which was shown prior to Gorman's final goodbye to the Celtics' fans and organization.
A standing ovation for Gorman put a nice bow on the Celtics' exciting night while fans remembered the good old days of Gorman calling the games of legends like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Reggie Lewis, Rajon Rondo, Danny Ainge and so many others.
“There's no place I would rather have been,” Gorman said before signing off, thanking fans after the Celtics' win.
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