2023-05-22 05:47:00
Crushed by Miami tonight, Boston will wake up with a hell of a hangover. Completely out of the game, the Celtics have never given the impression of playing a cleaver game. A look back at the collective sinking of the cloverleaf players during Game 3.
Yet the message was simple tonight: win or die. We know the percentage of teams that returned a 0-3 in the Playoffs (none), Celtics players know it too. In this situation, you no longer have to calculate home or away matches, you have to win and above all give everything. In this Game 3, however, we did not have the impression that Boston was up against the wall. We did not even necessarily have the impression that Boston was playing a game of Playoffs to tell the truth.
Apart from a brief resistance in the first quarter, the Celtics completely lost their footing. Individually, collectively, there won’t be much to save for the Green Nation. The defeat is 26 points but the feeling is so much worse.
Where to start ? By the leaders perhaps. We are of course thinking of Jay Brothers. The two friends released their worst game of the series. 26 points with two, 12/35 shooting and 1/14 from a distance, not to mention 6 lost balls… This time, we can’t blame them for missing their money time since the game was already folded at the end of the third quarter. In these moments when the team is in trouble, we expect leaders they show the way and the two All-Stars did not respond.
In Game 3:
Brown/Tatum — Vincent/Robinson —
26 PTS 51 PTS
12-35 FG 18-25 FG
1-14 3P 11-16 3P
The Jays were both drafted 3rd overall. Duncan and Gabe were undrafted. pic.twitter.com/tNupcxnVeE
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 22, 2023
We can also talk about the defense, which was totally permissive and which let the Heat get into their game and get hot. Certainly, Miami had an address that we rarely see but Boston has never managed two stops in a row or almost, unthinkable when you know what this team is capable of.
Worse, it is in envy that Boston has disappointed us the most. The Celtics put aggression but not in their game, rather in their mania for going to grumble about each referee’s decision. Admittedly, the refs as always missed a whistle or two, but out of the question to put this defeat on the backs of the zebras.
Where was the sense of urgency at the Celtics? Where was the knife between the teeth because nothing left to lose? Where was the hustle where you say “they are hungrier than the opponent”? There’s no Jimmy Butler on fire at 55 points opposite there, it’s just the opposing team who put a lot more aggressiveness and niaque to seek victory.
Boston almost looks like it’s already given up but be careful because there is still (at least) one game left. The qualification now seems utopian for the men of Beantown but avoiding a humiliation like this night with a sweep as the icing on the cake would already be a lesser evil. If it plays like this in Game 4…
MIAMI GOES UP 3-0 ON THE CELTICS ???? pic.twitter.com/EWluafc9g1
— ESPN (@espn) May 22, 2023
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#wall #Celtics #turned #cheek #South #Beach