Lest we forget, the Boston Celtics are down. They're not out.
The Miami Heat seized a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference finals Tuesday night, defeating the Celtics 118-107 after Boston stumbled its way through an awful third quarter at FTX Arena.
The result left some looking at the Celtics' glass as being half full, as Boston played very well for the first 24 minutes despite being without both Marcus Smart and Al Horford. But others believe it's half empty, with cracks beginning to show after the C's swept the Brooklyn Nets in Round 1 before dethroning the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks in seven games in Round 2.
Anna Horford, sister of Al Horford, has heard the doubts. And she took to Twitter hours before Thursday's Game 2 to send a message to those fleeing the Celtics' bandwagon.
"I've seen a lot of Boston doubters the past few days... Don't sleep on this team," Anna Horford tweeted.
This came hours before the Celtics announced Al Horford would be available for Game 2. The 35-year-old missed Game 1 after landing in the NBA's COVID-19 protocols.
Smart, who was listed as probable Thursday morning while recovering from a mid-foot sprain, also could return to the Celtics' lineup, although fellow guard Derrick White will be unavailable for Game 2 after flying to Boston for the birth of his child.
The series certainly didn't start the way the Celtics hoped, with the Heat flexing their muscles and showing why they're the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. But Boston already has dealt with plenty of adversity this season, including falling behind to Milwaukee on multiple occasions in the teams' second-round series, so it's safe to assume Ime Udoka's squad won't just pack it in after a single defeat in Miami.
All told, the Celtics definitely would love to even the best-of-seven set before returning to Boston. And a victory in Game 2 would go a long way toward swinging momentum back in their favor.
