Of the seven No. 1-seeds who swept No. 8-seeds over the previous decade, only the 2008 Lakers reached the NBA Finals, before falling to Boston.

WSJ: NBA Playoffs: Bad News for the Heat and Spurs, Champs Rarely Sweep to the Title

The Celtics now face another offseason of talk whether to break up the aging core that won the franchise's record 17th NBA title in 2008 and returned to the finals two years later.

WSJ: Celtics' comeback fades in 88-80 loss to Knicks

Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who now face another offseason of talk whether to break up the aging core that won the franchise's record 17th NBA title in 2008 and returned to the finals two years later.

WSJ: Knicks hold on to beat Celtics 88-80 and advance

The NBA Sonics made the playoffs 22 times before leaving town in 2008, a run that included six trips to the Western Conference finals and three to the NBA finals.

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