The Celtics presented some causes for concern Tuesday night, but Brian Windhorst seemingly couldn't be any less worried about Boston.
The C's appeared to be in the driver's seat in the first half against the Heat at FTX Arena despite playing without two usual starters. But the wheels completely came off for Boston in the third quarter and Ime Udoka's team was unable to recover, as Miami went on to claim a 118-107 win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
For some teams, losing a battle of physicality and will could break their spirit. Windhorst, however, doesn't see that happening with the Celtics.
"I think the Celtics have a lot of confidence," Windhorst said Tuesday on ESPN's "Get Up." "They've been arguably the best team in the NBA since January 1. They were down repeatedly in the series against the Bucks. They were down 1-0, they were down 2-1, they were down 3-2 going on the road and they always bounced back. Now, the health thing is a different challenge. But being around this team the past few weeks and knowing what I know about their personalities, I do not think that they will take this as a setback. They will look at their first half yesterday, find what works and prepare for tomorrow. I'm still banking on this to be a very long series and for both teams to land punches on each other."
Boston will try to punch back Thursday night before the best-of-seven series shifts to TD Garden. Tipoff for Game 2 is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
