The Boston Celtics had every reason to feel dejected after an agonizing Game 4 loss in overtime to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.
They squandered opportunities in the fourth quarter and overtime while Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla fessed up to a critical mistake he made on the game's final possession. And instead of taking a stranglehold on the series and getting a step closer to yet another Eastern Conference finals appearance, Boston gave Philadelphia life with the 76ers leveling the series at 2-2.
And despite some despair that accompanied the final result, it didn't weigh the Celtics down one bit as they felt the complete opposite about what happened even after not closing out a comeback effort in which they trailed by 16 points in the second half.
"I know that everybody's feeling down, we lost the game and things like that," Al Horford told reporters, as seen on NBC Sports Boston postgame coverage. "I'm pretty encouraged by our group. I saw some growth in our group. Things that we haven't been able to do all year. And to be able to do them on this type of stage, I'm very encouraged for our group."
Celtics guard Marcus Smart, who needed only a half-second more to get off a potential game-winning 3-pointer in time at the end of overtime, was in lockstep with Horford's thinking.
"Very encouraging. We have played none of our best basketball," Smart told reporters, as seen on NBC Sports Boston postgame coverage. "At one point in the game they were shooting 50%, we were shooting 37% and we fought our way back. That's all you can ask for. I don't look at this as a deflation for us. I look at it as we got to learn from our mistakes, clean up a couple things and just bring that same intensity."
Horford and Smart weren't the only ones to share an upbeat sentiment following what should have been a discouraging loss. Jaylen Brown agreed with his teammates and shared some optimism with the Celtics still in a solid position as the best-of-seven series shifts back to Boston.
"Absolutely. It's amazing to play this game," Brown told reporters, as seen on NBC Sports Boston postgame coverage. "(There's) going to be tough days, there's going to be great days. You got to take them all on the chin. God is great and we still got an opportunity to come out on our home floor and play basketball. And that's what it comes down to. The slightest details can cost you a game and the slightest details can help you win a game. And we got to make sure that we the team that comes out on top."
The Celtics will look to regain control of the series Tuesday when they host the 76ers in Game 5 at TD Garden. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
