BOSTON – When the Boston Celtics‘ first chance at a championship ended with their worst loss of the season, Joe Mazzulla said little in public, opting for a lighter touch behind closed doors.
The 35-year-old coach has cultivated a ruthless personality during his two years in charge; He has shown his team footage of orcas and combat sports knockouts in hopes of instilling a competitive edge. In the wake of the Dallas Mavericks‘ 122-84 victory in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night, Mazzulla avoided criticizing his players and sought to ease any growing tension with the Celtics one victory away from a record of 18th title.
“We wanted to go in for the kill (in Game 4), and we wanted to win so much that maybe we got away from what makes us special,” forward Jayson Tatum said at Sunday’s practice. “I think maybe we put too much pressure on ourselves at the time to be perfect or thought it was going to turn out the way we wanted. Joe did a great job today reminding us that it’s okay to smile during wars. He is okay with having fun during high-pressure moments.”
The Celtics will have a chance for a storybook ending when they host Game 5 at TD Garden on Monday, the 16th anniversary of their title-clinching Game 6 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008. While the past If the franchise’s championship game suggests a coronation is near, the Celtics may have to overcome their checkered history on the hardwood in recent postseasons.
First, the good news: Boston’s last three titles (in 1984, 1986 and 2008) were won at home immediately after road losses. In 1984, Larry Bird and company overcame a double-digit Game 6 loss to the Lakers to win Game 7. Two years later, the Celtics overcame a 15-point loss in Game 5 to the Lakers. Houston Rockets to win Game 6. In 2008, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett’s Celtics lost Game 5 in Los Angeles before defeating the Lakers in Game 6.
Boston won the first two games of these Finals in front of raucous crowds that delighted in booing former Celtics guard Kyrie Irving, but the TD Garden stage has swallowed up the home team many times over the last decade.
Jaylen Brown’s first playoff run ended with three home losses to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals. The following year, Tatum’s first playoff run ended with a home loss. in the seventh game against the Cavaliers in the same round.
Irving’s Celtics suffered a pair of embarrassing home losses to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2019 East semifinals, and Brad Stevens’ last home game as coach was a blowout loss to Brooklyn in the first round of the 2021 playoffs That night, Irving, who had left for the Nets in 2019, went to center court to trample the Celtics’ elf mascot. Clearly, green jerseys and shamrock logos (and the extreme scrutiny they come with) aren’t for everyone.
“What I struggled with initially was figuring out how I’m going to be a great player (in Boston) while winning championships and also leading a team and selflessly joining the Celtics organization or the cult that they have here,” Irving said. “That’s what they expect you to do as a player. They expect you to readily embrace Celtics pride and embrace everything that the Celtics are. And if you don’t, you will be found out.”
The 2022 Finals were even more excruciating for the Celtics, who took a 2-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors before TD Garden became a house of horrors. After Stephen Curry put up a 43-point masterpiece in Game 4 to shock Celtics fans, the Warriors sealed their title with a resounding victory in Game 6 in Boston. To twist the knife even further, Curry pointed to his ring finger and put the Celtics crowd to bed with his “night, night” celebration in the deciding game.
Last year, Tatum scored a playoff career-high 51 points in a Game 7 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round, but familiar demons resurfaced in the Eastern Finals. Boston lost Game 1 and Game 2 at home to the Miami Heat, then rallied from a 3-0 series deficit only to lose 103-84 in Game 7. Although Tatum suffered a sprained ankle early that night , the Celtics were booed. by their own fans during the season-ending loss.
Boston went 5-6 at home during the 2023 playoffs despite being the top seed in each round. The expectations of one of the league’s most intense fan bases had created an on-field disadvantage.
“When you’re driving to the gas station or yesterday I wanted to go get ice cream, there’s Celtics gear everywhere,” Tatum said. “You really feel the love and support from everyone in the city of Boston and how much they want us to win, how much they’ve been cheering for us. I don’t see it as pressure, just unconditional support and that we have an incredible fan base here. … When you get to the NBA, you think all franchises are the same. That couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Brown has insisted throughout the Finals that this year’s Celtics are a different team, one that has learned from their past shortcomings and benefited from the offseason additions of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Boston went a league-best 37-4 at home during the regular season and won eight of its 10 playoff games at TD Garden, with its last home loss coming on May 9 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of the second round.
With one more victory, the Celtics will forever overcome the painful memories of James, Irving, Curry and the Heat.
“We’re close to completing what we set out to do at the beginning of the season,” Brown said. “It’s not difficult to get everyone in the locker room on the same page right now. (If) we do it together and fight like our lives depend on it, I think we’ll be fine.”
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