The Celtics chose the worst possible moment to have their worst game of the season.
In their 122-84 Game 4 loss to Dallas, Boston's performance was filled with negative superlatives. The defeat ended their 10-game playoff winning streak, marked their lowest scoring game of the season, and was the first time they allowed the Mavericks to score over 100 points in the series, thanks to stellar performances by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
This loss reminded the Celtics that clinching a championship will require the resilience they've shown throughout a postseason where they haven't lost consecutive games.
It’s a learning lesson, for sure. Got to show up and show out every night. They’re not going to roll over,” said Celtics reserve Sam Hauser. “They’re down 3-1 now. They’re desperate. ... They’re not going to make it easy on us
Despite the humbling defeat, history favors the Celtics for Game 5. Though Friday’s loss was the seventh time Boston has lost by 20 or more points in the finals, they are 5-1 in the previous six occurrences. Additionally, Monday's game falls on the 16th anniversary of Boston clinching its last championship in 2008.
“It’s a great opportunity to respond,” said Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, who finished Game 4 with a minus-19 plus-minus, his second-worst of these playoffs and third-worst of his playoff career. “We just regroup. We keep our same mentality, and we come out and get ready to fight in another battle on our home floor.”
It's also a crucial moment for coach Joe Mazzulla to reinforce the lessons he’s tried to instill in his team. Hauser recalled Boston’s Game 3 win when Dallas cut a 21-point fourth-quarter lead to just one with less than four minutes to play.
Now, the Celtics are just one bounce-back win away from turning those instances of adversity into a championship.
If they need any more consolation, each of Boston’s previous three title-winning teams in 1984, 1986, and 2008 lost close-out opportunities on the road before returning to win at home.
Close-out games are hard. Close-out games are tough,” Brown said. “They always have been like that, and you’ve got to have extreme focus. You’ve got to come out and meet their intensity to finish things out.
Jayson Tatum is expecting the TD Garden crowd to bring the energy to match the moment.
I think it’s going to be as loud as it’s ever been in my seven years of being a Celtic, he said. Excited to go back home. Celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday and compete for a championship on Monday.
___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
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