The Celtics have been booed off their residence flooring. They have been upset as they headed to their locker room.
But the C’s weren’t sulking after their embarrassing Game 5 loss to the 76ers out of the blue put their season in jeopardy. They’ve been right here earlier than. Last season, in the identical actual spot within the second spherical, the Celtics misplaced a late result in the Bucks and dropped Game 5, placing them in a 3-2 collection gap.
Of course, the remaining is well-documented. The Celtics received Game 6 in Milwaukee, then Game 7 in Boston to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Now, they need to do it once more. As irritating because the Celtics could also be, routinely placing themselves in unideal conditions, they know what this second requires as they enter Thursday evening’s do-or-die Game 6 in Philadelphia.
“The brutality of it. It’s a true dogfight, scratching and clawing, biting, blood, everything,” Marcus Smart stated. “And when you’re not keen to just about get soiled, when you’re not keen to bleed, when you’re not keen to interrupt one thing, keen to tear one thing, going exhausting, then you definitely shouldn’t be on that courtroom as a result of that’s what it’s. That’s what the playoffs are about. Hopefully you keep secure however that’s the mentality. You gotta go, you gotta be keen to threat all of it for these video games. And that’s the mentality we gotta have. …
“Been there before,” Smart stated. “It’s one game at a time. So they’re feeling good. We got to go into a hostile environment and we got to just go take it. It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be a dogfight. And it’s, who wants it more?”
Inside a silent Celtics locker room after Game 5, there was a quiet confidence. Jaylen Brown dismissed the comparability to final season’s Bucks collection – “last year is over,” he stated – however is aware of the C’s have been resilient after dangerous losses all season. They’ve responded when their backs have been towards the wall.
The Celtics have left themselves no room for error due to how this collection has unfolded. They dropped Game 1 at residence towards the Joel Embiid-less Sixers. They failed in crunch time in Game 4. Now they’ve to enter Wells Fargo Center – the place a raucous Philadelphia crowd will probably be hoping to will the Sixers to their first berth within the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001 – and escape with a win.
After reaching the NBA Finals a yr in the past, the Celtics are extra proficient this yr. Their path again to the Finals has been cleared for them. Failing to even get out of the second spherical could be a catastrophic failure.
“We’ve been in this position before,” Al Horford stated. “It’s not ideal. But we still have an opportunity. We understand what it takes to go on the road on Thursday.”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla isn’t essentially the kind for motivational speeches. But he’ll have a message earlier than Game 6.
“Play free, play together, get connected, play physical and leave it all out there,” Mazzulla stated.
Something wants altering
Jayson Tatum stated the routine received’t change a lot earlier than Game 6. But once they step on the courtroom, the Celtics clearly want some changes.
It begins with Tatum, who’s been woeful within the first quarter within the Celtics’ Game 4 and 5 losses. He went 0-for-5 within the first and missed his first eight pictures in Game 4. He went 0-for-5 within the opening interval of Game 5 and missed his first six pictures.
In Game 6 at Milwaukee final season, Tatum erupted for 46 factors in a signature playoff efficiency. The C’s don’t essentially want that to depart Philadelphia with a victory, however they definitely want a greater Tatum.
“I think just instilling his confidence,” Mazzulla stated. “I think when he gets off to a good start, we’re a better team. Also understanding it doesn’t necessarily have to come from points. I think when he’s at his best, he’s just navigating both offensively and defensively.”
Get out and run
The Celtics thrive once they’re operating and in transition, and it begins on protection. They by no means acquired right into a rhythm in Game 5 as a result of they couldn’t get stops and saved committing fouls, most frequently on Embiid.
The C’s, after all, need to hit their open 3-pointers. Mazzulla stated they went 7-for-28 from deep on open to wide-open appears. That’s a recipe for catastrophe for the Celtics, who’ve confirmed to be nearly unbeatable once they’re sizzling from lengthy vary and weak once they’re chilly. If they’ll lock down defensively – which has been inconsistent on this collection – the Celtics’ offense will probably be higher for it.
“Get stops. I think it starts with that. It starts with our defense,” Mazzulla stated. “If you go back to when we’re playing at our best, that stretch of Game 4 here on the road, we were down eight to up six. We hit three 3s and it was because of the cross matches. It was because we drove and kicked and we knocked them down.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com