The defeat in Game 3 sounded like a wake-up call. Game 4, still in Atlanta, was therefore the wake-up call and the break for the Celtics. “There are always times when you let yourself go for one or two matches”remarked Grant Williams, after the defeat in Game 3. “But it shouldn’t escalate. »
No risk. Boston fulfilled its mission with a controlled victory, which allowed the 2022 finalists to lead 3-1 against the Hawks, before returning home. For Jaylen Brown, it was the first big climb of the Celtics.
“It was our first test outside,” esteems the one who showed two faces in this meeting for Mass Live. “We went from regular season basketball to playoff basketball. The Hawks, we must give them credit, put up a fight. Some game plans have been shattered because you just have to win the duels. You have to fight, go to the rebound. Matches become dogfights. »
Those matches in Atlanta, which came after two home shows, were the perfect wake-up call to find the starving Celtics spotted in the fall.
“At the start of the season, the defeat in the NBA Finals was our driving force”, recalls Al Horford for ESPN. “We got away from that a bit afterwards. But now we’re in the playoffs and it’s coming back to us, not necessarily collectively, but the players are talking about it. It’s still there. »
“You should never rest on your laurels when you are ahead, because every game is important”
A defeat would not have been a disaster for Boston, but rather a ball and chain, with a pivotal Game 5 to negotiate and a series that would continue. A scenario that Jayson Tatum wanted to avoid, but the winger also wants to conclude from the next game.
“We try not to make the task too difficult, not to slack off too much,” he throws. “You have to play with the idea that you have to win to survive. We have to learn from our mistakes last season, which made our road much more difficult. »
The All-Star is probably thinking of the games lost against Milwaukee at home, Game 1 and Game 5 of the conference semi-finals, or even of this wasted lead against Miami in the conference final, when the Celtics led 3-2 and were forced to seek their qualification during a Game 7 away. Result: in the Finals against the Warriors, Marcus Smart and his teammates were physically flushed…
“This Game 1 against the Bucks, we got our butts kicked because we hadn’t yet adjusted to this more physical series”, remembers the playmaker. “And it hurt us, it was harder then. You should never rest on your laurels when you are ahead, because every game is important. Last season, at times, we slacked off a bit. »
| Shots | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | bp | Int | CT | party | Points |
| Jayson Tatum | 74 | 36.9 | 46.6 | 35.0 | 85.4 | 1.1 | 7.7 | 8.8 | 4.6 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 30.1 |
| Jaylen Brown | 67 | 35.9 | 49.1 | 33.5 | 76.5 | 1.2 | 5.7 | 6.9 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 26.6 |
| Malcolm Brogdon | 67 | 26.0 | 48.4 | 44.4 | 87.0 | 0.6 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 14.9 |
| Derrick White | 82 | 28.3 | 46.2 | 38.1 | 87.5 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 12.4 |
| Marcus Smart | 61 | 32.1 | 41.5 | 33.6 | 74.6 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 6.3 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 11.5 |
| Al Horford | 63 | 30.5 | 47.6 | 44.6 | 71.4 | 1.2 | 5.0 | 6.2 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 9.8 |
| Grant Williams | 79 | 25.9 | 45.4 | 39.5 | 77.0 | 1.1 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 8.1 |
| Robert Williams | 35 | 23.5 | 74.7 | 0.0 | 61.0 | 3.0 | 5.4 | 8.3 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 8.0 |
| Sam Hauser | 80 | 16.1 | 45.5 | 41.8 | 70.6 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 6.4 |
| Mike Muscala | 20 | 16.2 | 47.2 | 38.5 | 69.2 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 5.9 |
| Payton Pritchard | 48 | 13.4 | 41.2 | 36.4 | 75.0 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 5.6 |
| Blake Griffin | 41 | 13.9 | 48.5 | 34.8 | 65.6 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 4.1 |
| Luke Kornet | 69 | 11.7 | 66.5 | 23.1 | 82.1 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 3.8 |
| Justin Champagnie | 2 | 11.7 | 16.7 | 20.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.5 |
| Jd Davison | 12 | 5.5 | 42.1 | 28.6 | 50.0 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.6 |
| Mfiondu Kabengele | 4 | 9.1 | 28.6 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 1.5 |
| noah vonleh | 23 | 7.4 | 45.8 | 25.0 | 100.0 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| justin jackson | 23 | 4.7 | 25.9 | 25.0 | 50.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.9 |
