In Game 3 road the Celtics defeated the Cavaliers on the completing a stunning comeback.
The Boston Celtics have demonstrated consistency in three areas during their deep playoff runs in recent seasons they have excelled away from home played extended series and underperformed at home.
Whether the Celtics can turn around their situation in the first two games is still to be seen. But the Celtics made sure the momentum carried over in Game 3 on Saturday against the Cavaliers.
Star players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown played outstanding defense, as Boston upset the Cavaliers 106-93 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Tatum said We knew that we didn’t play as well as we could have in Game 2 so our only goal was to win.
It was also a tremendous chance for us to come out here and respond play better and work hard. All of those things were made possible by this fantastic test and opportunity.
The Celtics have played 28 home playoff games in the last three seasons, going 14-14 overall, which is the most in NBA history for a three-year stretch without a winning record. This information comes from ESPN statistics and information research.
The Celtics did however make it to the NBA Finals in 2022 and the Conference Finals the previous season. This year, they’re far ahead in the playoffs, having won 17 of their 17 away games.
In response to a depressing defeat in Game 2, during which Brown referred to their defensive performance as unacceptable the Celtics fortified their resolve on both sides of the court on Saturday to secure yet another road victory which would be their fifth consecutive postseason victory after a loss.
With Tatum scoring 33 and Brown scoring 28, the two players combined for 61 points. The Celtics shot 51% from the field and 38.2% from three-point range (13 of 34).
Brown said I believe all we need is for everyone to be in agreement and put up the appropriate amount of work. That alone accounts for 85% of the conflict. After we go and put in a lot of work we’re back in the same position and the rest will sort itself out. We have enough skill in the locker room to defeat opposition teams.
But we put ourselves in danger when we don’t put in the necessary effort and aren’t in agreement. Thus, be sure to say to everyone Hey we’re not here to play before the game, during film and throughout shootaround.
It was very clear how intensely defensive Boston was thinking. In spite of Donovan Mitchell’s outstanding 33-point effort Cleveland’s remaining options have been put under strain by the Celtics who have largely controlled the game.
Their chemistry wasn’t as strong outside of Mitchell and Evan Mobley who combined for 17 points this was especially true after Mobley hurt his left ankle in the third quarter. The remaining Cavaliers scored 43 points on 17 of 51 shots including 5 of 23 from beyond the arc.
I just think we didn’t make the same shots that we made in Game 2, Mitchell remarked. I think we missed a lot of shots that we should have taken around the rim, as did many of the other members of our group. In addition while it wasn’t a bad percentage we didn’t shoot it as well from three.
These in my opinion are two whole separate things and in order to keep the crowd interested we need to find our rhythm and stay with it. If we don’t they will try to get back into it. We must therefore be able to stop those shots while they’re open.
The Celtics now need to put on another impressive showing in order to return home and have a chance to play Game 4 to finish the series. Can they stay focused and not let Cleveland get back into the game as they did in Game 2?
Brown stated These are the postseason games. Anything can happen, particularly when driving. We need to be more careful not to assume that this series will follow the same path as the last one. In Game 4, we must play the same defensive strategy all we need to do is be as focused and determined.
