The Boston Celtics have not had a single issue responding after a loss this postseason going 7-0 following a defeat.
The challenge for them, especially now with a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals over the Golden State Warriors, is stringing together a second consecutive strong performance with a chance to take a stranglehold on the championship series in Game 4 on Friday.
Boston already missed a similar opportunity in the finals when the Celtics got shellacked at Chase Center by the Warriors in Game 2. But this time, the Celtics will have a home crowd behind them, which hasn't exactly always paid dividends during their playoff run.
During the postseason, Boston is just an average 6-4 on the TD Garden parquet -- take out the first-round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets and the Celtics went 4-4 at home against the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat.
But Jaylen Brown, who netted a team-high 27 points in Boston's Game 3 victory, understands that no matter the location of the game, the Celtics need to do a better job at being more consistent. And that means showing up for Game 4 and being ready for the opportunity that lies in front of them.
"Every game is important," Brown told reporters following the Celtics 116-100 victory, per ASAP Sports. "I think home court is definitely an advantage. Little bit more energy in the building and things can go in your direction, but we've lost a lot of games at home this playoffs. So at the end of the day, we just got to come out and play basketball, whether it's in Boston, whether it's in SF (San Francisco) or Alaska. It don't matter. We just got to come out and play the right way."
Brown and the Celtics look to put the Warriors into a deeper series hole in Game 4, which is scheduled for Friday night. Tipoff is expected shortly after 9 p.m. ET.
