Sam Hauser Took Unique Approach In Preparing For Celtics-Mavs Finals

Sam Hauser shot a career-best 42.4% from 3-point range for the Celtics this past season, but once Boston’s playoffs run commenced, the reserve unit sharpshooter’s hot hand cooled off a bit.

The 26-year-old, getting his third taste of the NBA postseason, shot a horrendous 7.1% from beyond the arc, going 1-for-14 in the Eastern Conference finals against the Pacers. Hauser’s averaged just 4.4 points while draining 33.3% of threes throughout the playoffs thus far, and to help dig himself out of the ongoing slump, Hauser shared his unconventional method.

“There’s nothing tangible that I switch out in my workouts or anything,” Hauser said at Wednesday’s NBA Finals media day, per CLNS Media. “It’s more of just trying to stay confident and maybe going back and looking at highlights where I’m on a heater or something like that. Just to know that I’m still the same guy, it’s just the shots aren’t going in sometimes.”

Hauser struggled intensely during Boston’s closeout Game 4 victory over Indiana, scoring only five points — he scored seven points total in the series — on 1-of-6 shooting (16.7%) with one rebound and one assist. After logging 22 minutes of playing time in the regular season, Hauser’s on-court time has decreased progressively after the first round (17.8), landing on a 14.6-minute postseason average entering the Finals against the Mavericks.

As the team inches closer to reaching the mountaintop, Hauser is willing to take whatever measure necessary to get back on track and contribute — even if it requires spending some spare time on YouTube.

“Sometimes I just search up my name and watch the first couple of videos that come up,” Hauser revealed. “Sometimes you’re in a hole or in a slump like that you just need something to bring you out of it.”

Hauser and the Celtics have had plenty of time to prepare for Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Dallas, earning over a week of time off before Game 1, courtesy of their 12-2 playoff record. And regardless of the previous shooting woes, Hauser still shares a feeling of anticipation with the rest of Boston’s locker room as Banner 18 remains within their reach.

“I think we’re just excited to get going,” Hauser added. “I think it’s, I don’t know, eight or nine days since we played our last game so everybody’s anxious to get back on the court and play in front of these fans, and I know that (TD) Garden’s gonna be rocking.”