Barstool Sports founder and diehard Boston sports fan Dave Portnoy was noticeably absent from his courtside seat at TD Garden on Monday night, where the Celtics were blown out by the Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Portnoy, a Boston native, missed the game because he was sick with a 104-degree fever, and said “he’s on the verge of dying” in a video he shared on Twitter after the game.
“Well, that’s that, season’s over. We got blown out at home in Game 7,” he said of the 103-84 loss — adding that Boston’s stars, including Jaylen Brown, “didn’t come out to play” in the elimination game.
“I’ve got a 104 fever and people are probably going to blame it on me not going to the game,” Portnoy, who was wearing a green Celtics T-shirt, continued. “But here’s the thing, as my abdomen hurts, can’t eat, just sweating — kind of reminds… sports are great, but without your health, you got nothing.
“I’m on the verge of dying, so what’s more important really? Sports or being dead? — Dead.”
However, Portnoy apparently has since turned a corner and is on the mend.
“Good news I feel much better this morning,” he tweeted Tuesday. “Bad news is that as much as I’d love to do a deep dive into the Celtics game I was in such a daze last night I don’t really remember it.
“The important thing is I feel better and have my health. Without your health you have nothing.”
In a separate video posted prior to Game 7, Portnoy said he started feeling sick on Sunday and was bedridden.
“Yesterday around 1 I started feeling like s–t,” Portnoy said. “Chills, shivers, you name it… I haven’t been out of bed yet. I’ve been in bed now for 24 straight hours, 30 hours, no food, haven’t gone to the bathroom, nothing. Can’t get up.
“I think I just put all of my energy, emotion in trying to will the Celtics to win the series so bad it took everything I had… If this is how my story ends, so be it. Dave went down willing the Celtics to come back for the first time in history of the NBA from 0-3.”
Portnoy attended Boston’s 110-97 Game 5 win at TD Garden.
The Celtics were poised to make history as the first team to win a series after falling behind 3-0 — but instead came up short on their home floor.
Boston’s star forward Jayson Tatum sustained an ankle injury on the first play of the game but continued to play through the pain, grimacing for much of the night.
When it was time for All-Star forward Jaylen Brown to step up, he delivered a career-high eight turnovers — the most by a Celtic in a playoff game since Larry Bird in 1981, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
The Celtics also struggled shooting from 3-point range in front of several franchise greats who were in attendance, including Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo.
Miami is headed back to the NBA Finals for the second time in four years, with Game 1 against the Nuggets set for Thursday in the Mile High City.
Denver is making its first finals appearance.
