The NBA Playoffs’ first-round matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls is currently one of four series that are tied 2-2 — but it’s the only one (so far) in which sneakers have taken center stage at a pivotal moment.
During the third quarter of Sunday’s Game 4, Bulls center Robin Lopez and Celtics small forward Jae Crowder were involved in a must-watch on-court sneaker mishap.
It all started when Lopez jumped out of one of his Adidas during a rebound. As the big man knelt down to reach for his missing shoe, Crowder snatched it away and tossed it toward the baseline.
Lopez reacted quickly, stopping Crowder from heading back up court, as the referee called for a stoppage. As Lopez reached to retrieve his shoe, he decided to have some fun with Crowder for good measure, untying one of the Celtics forward’s kicks in retaliation.
It didn’t take long for the refs to issue Crowder a technical foul for delaying the game, resulting in a brief scoring run by the Bulls, before the Celtics ultimately put them away 104-95.
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With this series now tied at two games apiece, the teams will meet again Wednesday at Boston’s TD Garden, for Game 5. That will be followed by Game 6 in Chicago on Friday, and if necessary, a Game 7 Sunday in Boston.
Check out another angle of the back-and-forth antics below.
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