There are some things the Celtics -- or any other NBA team -- can't control in any given game. Sometimes the basketball takes a bad bounce and referees aren't always going to be perfect.
But there is one thing Boston can dictate Thursday night when it tries to keep its season alive: effort level.
Although Al Horford's counterargument claims otherwise, the 76ers looked like they simply wanted to win more Tuesday night at TD Garden. There was a similar feel to Sunday afternoon's game at Wells Fargo Center, as Boston's signs of life were too little too late in Game 4 of the teams' Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Celtics' last two showings struck a nerve for Eddie House, a former Boston guard who helped the organization win its last NBA championship in 2008.
"We have been getting our ass kicked the last two games," House said Wednesday on "Arbella Early Edition," as transcribed by NBC Sports Boston. "One thing we cannot do is lose by somebody else playing with more effort. Playing with more passion. We got booed by our home fans. That is not what Celtic basketball is about. You've got everybody that's been here before that understands what it's like to put on this Celtics uniform. It's about playing hard. It's about diving on the floor for loose balls. It's not about just thinking that it's easy. It's never going to be easy.
"But we cannot lose a basketball game by getting outworked. Right now, Philadelphia is outworking us. They're playing harder than us. Some of us got to take the personal challenge. If you don't want to take the personal challenge, you'll be sitting over here next to me, and I will find somebody who will be out there that is willing and ready to put it all on the line to win the game. Because it's win or go home. And if we go home, it's a failure, and some of y'all are not going to have Celtics uniforms on next year."
Boston fans should expect to see a higher level of urgency and intensity from the reigning East champions Thursday night. Marcus Smart set the tone for this uptick immediately after Game 5 when he graphically expressed a win-at-all-costs mindset for Game 6.
Tipoff from Wells Fargo Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
