The Celtics still haven't lost away since the start of the playoffs. No matter the environment or the room, Boston always ends up finding a way to win for the moment. That was the case at Miami's Kaseya Center, and it's still true at Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
To play the role of 6th man in a formation deprived of two All-Stars (Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell), the Cleveland public will have given voice until the end in a close match that the Celtics almost demanded. Until then, the Celtics had not had to take on this type of challenge by chaining “blow outs”.
“There's nothing better than winning an away playoff game. It's like everyone is against you… It's a tough environment and the crowd was great, but as a competitor it's really nice to be in an environment like that and win at the end. 'outside', Jayson Tatum said.
A crouch to protect yourself?
In the second quarter, Jaylen Brown gave the Cavaliers crowd reason to roar. After a penetrating basket, the Celtics winger clashed with Max Strus, and he only collected a simple foul.
The room did not seem to share the same point of view as the officials, and the spectators demanded a Flagrante 1. The referees ruled that the contact from Jaylen Brown, who grabbed Strus by the ankle, was not unnecessary or excessive. Result: Brown was heavily whistled until the end of the match.
“I accept them”, says Brown about whistles. “I went to the basket, I felt like there was contact and I finished the action by landing on the floor. It felt like someone was kicking me in the back of the head, and I feel I had the right to remove the foot or at least try to protect myself from it. . »
Like Joel Embiid against the Knicks, Jaylen Brown agrees to play the role of the bad guy, but he repeats, he was only trying to protect himself. “I didn’t try to trip him.” insists Brown. “But at the same time, you can’t kick me in the head. It's like that. I think the referees made the right decision and we moved on. »
And there's a good chance he won't return to Cleveland this season…
