The Boston Celtics bounced back in Saturday’s Game 3 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, after their relatively consistent struggle at home.
Behind a clinical defensive effort and impressive performances from stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics beat the Cavaliers 106-93 to take a 2-1 lead in this best-of-seven series.
“We were just trying to get a win, understanding that we didn’t play as well as we wanted to in Game 2,” Tatum said.
“And it was a great test and opportunity for us to come out and respond and play better and play harder and all those things.”
Over the past three seasons, Boston is 14-14 in 28 home playoff games, the most played over a three-year span without posting a winning record in NBA history, according to ESPN Stats & Information. However, in those three seasons, the Celtics reached the NBA Finals in 2022 and the conference finals last season.
After a shambolic display in Game 2, the Celtics corrected things up at both ends Saturday to ensure another road victory — their fifth straight in the postseason, dating back to last year’s playoffs.
Tatum and Brown led the effort, combining to score 61 points — 33 for Tatum and 28 for Brown — as the Celtics shot 51.2% from the field and went 13-for-34 (38.2%) from 3-point range.
“I think we just need everybody to be on the same page and everybody to come out with the right effort,” Brown said. “That’s 85% of the battle right there. We come out, we play hard, and then we’re on the same page and the rest will take care of itself. We got enough talent in the locker room to beat teams.
“But if we’re not on the same page and we’re not playing hard, those are when we get ourselves in trouble. So making sure, before the game at film and shootaround, talking to everybody, touching everybody, letting everybody know that, ‘Hey, we’re not here to play around.’
