(The winner of Sunday’s game will also have home-court edge in the NBA Finals, if they can eliminate Miami in the Eastern Conference finals.)īut playing at the TD Garden hasn’t been such an advantage for Boston: The Celtics have gone just 7-9 in their last 16 home playoff games - a far cry from the days when playing on the parquet was almost a sure thing.īoston swingman Jaylen Brown has heard the complaints from fans who’ve watched the team cough up big leads and give away games in both playoff series so far this postseason. The Celtics earned the home-court advantage by finishing three games ahead of Philadelphia in the standings Boston also won three of the four matchups in the regular season. That’s what we play, for these types of games.” “We know what we have to do,” said Sixers center Joel Embiid, who was crowned as the NBA MVP during the series. It’s just the second series to reach a seventh game so far this postseason. The Celtics will meet the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday for the last remaining spot in the NBA’s final four. “We know how to win easy and we know how to battle to the death,“ the rookie head coach said Saturday as he prepared for his first winner-take-all game as the No. The other was a one-possession game in the final seconds. That’s what I’m most proud about him tonight.BOSTON (AP) - Joe Mazzulla’s Game 7 experience has been as an assistant coach, including last year when the Celtics won two of them on their way to the NBA Finals. “It’s hard to forget about the miss and play defense. “It’s not hard to keep shooting when you’re missing,” Mazzulla said. During a timeout late in the fourth, Mazzulla pulled him aside and told him: “I love you.” Mazzulla credited Tatum for continuing to play the right way even through the slump and not letting one shot affect another. Jaylen Brown reminded him along the way to not be apprehensive and that the product didn’t have to be perfect. It was his heroics that put the Celtics over the top, but those around him helped guide him to the promised land. I just kept telling myself, ‘I got time to make a difference.’ And I believed that.” In that moment, still be aggressive, make the right play. “I’ve played a lot of games,” Tatum said. On another, he started to attempt a transition 3 with a hand in his face, then thought better of it, got caught in the air and turned the ball over.įans wanted him benched, duct-taped to his seat, then traded for Dennis Schroder, Daniel Theis and a 2028 third-rounder an hour later. On one play, he beat his man off the dribble and blew an uncontested layup while spiraling into the cameras. He looked out of sorts, a step slow and straight up confused at times. Despite his poor shooting, he rebounded, found his teammates and played hard on both ends, but he had serious trouble putting the ball in the basket. Tatum has had cold starts before, but this one was cold cold. “It was his time,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. Tatum continued to trust his work and buried pivotal, clutch 3’s when they mattered most. He finished 5-for-21 with four turnovers, but the fourth quarter may have been one of the most significant stretches of his career. He showed signs of life in the third and erupted for 16 in a breakout fourth, outscoring the 76ers himself and willing the Celtics to a signature 95-86 road win. Tatum started Game 6 with shocking 0-for-11 from the floor and didn’t hit his first field goal until the 8:34 mark in the third quarter. Sixers /ANd13uB0MD- Bleacher Report May 12, 2023 humbly, one of the best basketball players in the world."
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