There clearly was frustration and disappointment between Boston Celtics players after their 104-103 Game 3 loss to the Toronto Raptors.
With how the game ended — a buzzer-beater from Toronto’s OG Anunoby — that’s no surprise. But there was another common theme, as well.
Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and even head coach Brad Stevens all explained the importance of turning the page and the importance of moving on.
After all, in the big picture, the Celtics lost one game in a seven-game series. They still have a 2-1 advantage in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“We got to move on to Game 4. I guess that’s the focus now,” Brown said, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “I’m moving on, ain’t nothing nobody can do about it … It’s tough. But that’s the playoffs.
“They’re a good team. They’re the defending champs. We knew they weren’t going to go down without a fight so we got to be ready to throw that next punch,” Brown added. “They responded, they made a remarkable play at the end of the game. So, the fight continues, get ready for Game 4.”
Tatum added: “When we win we can’t think abut it too long, when we lose we can’t think about it too long. Just got to move on to the next one.
“We can’t change it. There’s nothing we can do about it. It happened. All we can do is focus on the next game,” Tatum said.
Stevens echoed those comments.
“Both teams left it all out there tonight in a great game. And it hurts and it stings to lose. But we’ll just get back to it. Get ready for Saturday,” he said.
The Celtics return the floor against the Raptors with Game 4 scheduled for Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET in Orlando.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
