It’s a feeling the Celtics had surely forgotten. For the first time since May 9, against the Cavaliers in the second round, Boston has just lost a game, after ten victories in a row. It’s even the first setback outside of the playoffs.
It is significant because there was the title after 48 minutes in Dallas. But Luka Doncic and his gang showed pride to win. “They were better than us”, assures Al Horford. “You can say a lot of things, but they were much better, dominated. It's hard, but it's reality. »
The Mavericks had already reacted in Game 3 but the Celtics had managed to motivate themselves, to do what Jaylen Brown had explained before the match. “You almost have to play like you're down 0-2 rather than like you're leading. It’s hard to do,” summed up the Boston star.
But at 3-0, with the series almost over, Joe Mazzulla's players did not find the mental resources to rebel. In short: Dallas had its back against the wall, Boston was already a little on the plane…
A match to forget
“We have to pay tribute to Dallas. They played harder, dominated in rebounding”notes Jaylen Brown. “I think it’s a key to putting pressure on us. Then, we didn't put them in the shots. We let them play freely, with several shooting opportunities. We'll look at the images and see what we can do better. »
The Celtics coach quickly raised the white flag, leaving his starters on the bench for the last fifteen minutes of the game, while the score was around 40 points apart. Taking such a slap in the face, even with a 3-1 lead and a home game coming up, is that cause for concern for Jayson Tatum and his gang?
“I don’t want to put too fine a point on this. It happens and there's nothing we can do about it.” replies the latter. “We always say it: a defeat of two or thirty points is the same. We must do better, no excuses. We must be better and we will be. »
Monday evening, the Celtics will be able to kill two birds with one stone: react after this punishment and above all win the title, the franchise's first since 2008. “These are the moments that make or break you. We need to come together, learn from this, accept and attack. It will be difficult, nothing will be easy, but that's no reason to lose your mind.”concludes Jaylen Brown.
