The Celtics is the nickname of the Boston Celtics, a professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The Celtics were founded in 1946 and have a rich history of success, having won a total of 17 NBA championships, the most recent in 2008. The team is known for its signature green and white uniforms and for having some of the greatest players in basketball history, including Bill Russell, Larry Bird, and Paul Pierce. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which they share with the Boston Bruins hockey team.
The Celtics, who were described as 'angry', managed to regain their footing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and got their confidence back.
According to Coach Joe Mazzulla, the Boston Celtics have been experiencing intense feelings of fury and exasperation over the previous 48 hours due to their defeat against the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening game of the Eastern Conference semifinals played at their own home ground. In response, Jaylen Brown, the Celtics' guard, took it upon himself to set a new standard for his team right from the outset of the second game that took place on Wednesday night.
On Boston's first offensive possession of Game 2 against the Sixers, Jaylen Brown drained a 3-pointer to quickly answer Tobias Harris' opening bucket. Brown then proceeded to defend James Harden from the moment Philadelphia inbounded the ball, applying full-court pressure. Brown's tenacious defense and the rest of the Celtics' dominant effort ultimately resulted in a 34-point victory, tying for the third-largest margin of victory in a playoff game in franchise history. The Sixers suffered their first loss of the postseason as a result of Boston's performance, and the series is now even at 1-1. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night in Philadelphia.
"We need to have more self-respect," Brown commented following the game. "I felt like we didn't play up to our potential last time, and we wanted to come back and give it our all. And that's exactly what we did."
Brown was the top scorer of the game, amassing an impressive 25 points, and helped make up for the shortage in points caused by Jayson Tatum's absence. Tatum only played for 19 minutes and scored seven points due to being plagued by foul trouble throughout most of the game. This victory for Boston is their biggest win margin in a game where Tatum scored under 10 points.
Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon spoke highly of the team's depth, saying "Our strength is our depth". Brogdon had an impressive performance in the playoffs, tying a franchise record with six 3-pointers and scoring a total of 23 points off the bench. He mentioned that the team has players like himself, Derrick White, and Grant Williams who are ready to contribute when called upon to support the team's superstars.
In the meantime, the Celtics showcased their defensive prowess throughout the game by limiting the scoring output of James Harden to just 12 points after his 45-point performance in Game 1. They also contained the returning and newly-crowned NBA MVP Joel Embiid to just 15 points.
"We have to give credit to [Brown], he initiated the momentum for us," remarked Marcus Smart, a Celtics guard. "All we had to do was follow his example. It's difficult not to be inspired when one of your best players sets the tone like that. Our defensive performance had been declining, and we aimed to return to our strengths."
On Wednesday, Boston won the game, marking the 15th successive occasion where a team that lost the opening game of a playoff series at home managed to recover and win the second game.
The Celtics came out strong on Wednesday night, following their previous criticisms of their defensive efforts early in the series against the Sixers. Their efforts paid off as James Harden had a poor performance, shooting just 2-for-14 from the field and 0-for-6 from beyond the arc, giving him the worst field goal percentage after a 45-point game in NBA postseason history.
Furthermore, the Celtics also tested Joel Embiid's fitness and agility in his first game back from a knee injury by putting him in space and attacking him in pick-and-roll situations. Although Embiid managed to block five shots, he only made 4 of his 9 field goal attempts.
The Celtics drastically improved their 3-point shooting in Game 2, making 20 of their 51 3-pointers compared to just 26 attempts in Game 1. The team's offensive explosion included a flurry of seven 3-pointers during the third quarter, which put the game out of reach and allowed star players Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to rest during the final period.
Celtics forward Grant Williams acknowledged the importance of maintaining the team's edge going forward and not becoming complacent after a win, stating that their physicality, intensity, and approach will be vital in this series. Williams emphasized the need for the Celtics to sustain their level of play and avoid being the first team to break in the series against the Sixers.
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