The Boston Celtics played with renewed energy in Games 4 and 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
They were more fluid offensively, more intense defensively and overall looked like a totally different team than the one that dug itself a 3-0 series hole against the Miami Heat.
The result: back-to-back convincing wins — one in Miami and one in Boston — and a sense the C’s are capable of pulling off the impossible. No team in NBA history ever has overcome a 3-0 series deficit (0-151).
“The pressure’s on them, right? We were down 3-0, nobody thought we were going to win,” Tatum told ESPN after Thursday night’s 110-97 win at TD Garden. “So, we’re playing free, playing confident. We’re ready to go down to Miami.”
The best-of-seven series now shifts to South Beach, where the Heat will have another opportunity to close out the Celtics in Game 6 on Saturday night at Kaseya Center. FanDuel Sportsbook had Boston installed as 3-point road favorites as of Friday afternoon. The Celtics were +125 to win the series (the Heat were -150), a far cry from the +900 odds Boston faced immediately after losing Game 3 in Miami.
Clearly, the script has flipped. Which is nice, if you’re the Celtics. Maybe being on the verge of an embarrassing sweep — against a No. 8 seed — was just the kick in the pants Joe Mazzulla’s group needed to activate its true potential. After all, the Celtics’ track record this season is littered with instances of them playing down to opponents and flipping the switch only after they’ve been pushed to the brink, figuratively or literally in the case of their seven-game, second-round win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Heat left the door open. The Celtics are threatening to rip it off the hinges.
But therein lies the dilemma, as well: Acting like the Celtics suddenly have it all figured out only exacerbates their apparent championship DNA problem. They talk the talk when they’re walking the walk. And they’re clearly feeling themselves after cutting into the Heat’s series lead. But all it takes is one flat tire for them to come flying out of their sneakers.
Don’t downplay the degree of difficulty remaining in Boston’s comeback bid. Winning two games in a row against Miami is hard. Winning the final two games (in a row) against Erik Spoelstra, Jimmy Butler and company is even harder.
“We’ve just got to be consistent. Tonight, we were the tougher-playing team,” Jaylen Brown said on TNT after the Celtics’ Game 5 victory. “We set the tone from start to finish, and we had a great team win. We hit shots. And they let us get two (wins). So, don’t let us get another one.”
“Only thing that can stop us is us,” the C’s star added. “We’ve just got to come out and play our game, have fun and let God do the rest.”
It’s great to see the Celtics letting their hair down and playing with unbridled passion in the face of adversity. Just understand that getting too comfortable is what put Boston in this predicament in the first place.
The Celtics reverting to their old ways as the pressure ramps up in Game 6 and potentially Game 7 isn’t totally off the table, and it’s therefore incumbent upon them to walk the fine line between free and easy and buttoned-up and focused. Their NBA Finals hopes depend on it.
