The situation facing the Boston Celtics on Thursday night could not be more straightforward.
The Eastern Conference champions can take down the Warriors and force a winner-take-all Game 7 in the Bay Area on Sunday. An NBA Finals Game 6 loss, however, would result in Jayson Tatum and company watching Golden State raise the Larry O'Brien Trophy at TD Garden, something a visiting team hasn't done since 1985.
As such, Tatum doesn't believe Boston needs a rah-rah speech before taking the parquet floor for Game 6. The motivation within the Celtics locker room is already at a high.
"We're all professionals and adults. We know what's at stake," Tatum told reporters Wednesday, as transcribed by ASAP Sports. "Everybody in that locker room should and is going to understand what we got to do, what's on the line.
"So it shouldn't take a hero speech or anything like that. Everybody should be juiced up and ready to play. I'm not even going to say if they're not, it's a problem. Everybody is going to be ready to play. I'm not worried about that at all."
We'll find out shortly after 9 p.m. ET if the Celtics are ready to play at a level needed for a must-win game. If Boston suffers a slow start against a team with a bevy of NBA Finals experience, its season could be over in short order.
