NBA Finals

Taylor Snow

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BOSTON – Sitting in the silence of defeat inside their home locker room Thursday night while the Golden State Warriors celebrated an NBA Championship on the TD Garden court was a painful moment for the Boston Celtics.

However, it was also a pivotal moment in the eyes of first-year head coach Ime Udoka.

His parting message following the 103-90 Game 6 defeat was this: “To let it propel us forward, the experience. The biggest message is to learn from this, grow from it, take this experience, and see there is another level to get to … Just don't come back the same as players, coaching staff. Let this fuel you throughout the offseason into next year.”

Those words hold great meaning to Udoka because he has lived them before.

Back in 2013, while serving as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, he experienced a dreadful championship loss to the Miami Heat – the one sparked by Ray Allen's infamous game-tying 3. Those Spurs held onto their pain from that moment, and it drove them all the way back to the Finals the very next year where they would go on to capture a title.

The main difference between this young Celtics team and that aging Spurs team is that this should only mark the beginning of perennial championship contention for Boston. It had reached the Eastern Conference Finals three times in the previous five campaigns before finally getting over the hump this season by reaching the NBA Finals.

The next hump to get over is by winning it all.

“What I did say to the group was that there are levels,” said Udoka. “You can see the difference in Golden State, a team that's been there, been together for a long time. The core group, it's been 10 years now. We've seen what we can achieve. It hurts we fell short of that. But what I did say is the future is bright and we're just getting started, so let's all come back better from this experience.”

The bulk of Boston’s core has been together for a few seasons now, and this was their biggest test yet.

It was a roller coaster of a journey, as the C’s started off 18-21 while navigating the challenges of adapting to a new coach and new system, as well as dealing with a plethora of early-season health issues. They completed a miraculous turnaround, going from 11th place in mid-January all the way up to second place by the end of the regular season before emerging as Eastern Conference champions.

“We speak of the route we had to take to get here; it wasn't easy,” said Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart. “That's the confident part we have in it, you know what I'm saying? We went through hell to get here. We didn't play our best basketball, our best series. This is probably our worst series. But it's part of it. It happens. It is what it is. We’re young, and like I said, the things we went through to get here showed us what we have to come for us in the future.”

Their future will be molded by their past experiences, and this Finals loss will be the most critical learning point of all.

“It's hard,” said Jayson Tatum, who joined Larry Bird and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to amass at least 600 points, 150 rebounds, and 125 assists in a single postseason. “It's hard getting to this point. It's even harder getting over it, the hump, and winning it. It's been a long journey, a long process. That's what I took from it: it's tough. You got to take it up another level to do what we want to do.”

The process of taking it up another level starts right away. After playing a league-high 106 games, the Celtics have earned some well-deserved rest, but then it’s right back to the drawing board.

“We have to make sure that we have a good summer as far as continuing to put in the work and get better and get prepared for next season,” said Al Horford. “Obviously we'll take some time, but we have a great opportunity in front of us to get better this summer individually, then when we come together as a group and build from this.”

This defeat is just one more obstacle to learn from and to eventually overcome.

“I always look at adversity as opportunities to shape an individual,” said Jaylen Brown. “For whatever reason, it wasn't our time. That means we still got a lot to learn. Personally, I still got a lot to learn. For me, it's always about growth. Continuing to get better, continuing to find different ways to lead. That's what it's about. The future is bright. I'm excited to get back next year.”

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Celtics Use Finals Loss as Fuel for Their Future

On Thursday night, the Boston Celtics will take the court at TD Garden for the final time this season in what will be the biggest game of their lives.

They find themselves in a desperate situation, trailing the Golden State Warriors 3-2 in the best-of-seven Finals series, with no room for error. Win and they force a Game 7 back in San Francisco. Lose and their journey comes to an end.

The pressure couldn’t be higher, but the C’s feel ready, knowing that all of the obstacles they have overcome throughout the season have prepared them for this moment.

“We haven't backed down from a challenge all season,” Jaylen Brown said following Wednesday afternoon’s practice at TD Garden. “We look at it as no different now. It's unfortunate that sometimes those learning curves turn into losses. But we wear every experience as a badge of honor. We take everything that we learn into the next game. We put ourselves in the position to be in this series with a team that has won and done it before. We're looking forward to Game 6. We're looking forward to coming out and getting the win, forcing a Game 7.”

In NBA history, only 16.2 percent of teams facing a 3-2 deficit have gone on to win Games 6 and 7. It takes a special team to dig out of such a hole, and this Celtics has already proven itself capable of doing so having overcome a 3-2 deficit in their second-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The key to prevailing with their backs against the wall isn’t necessarily about making big adjustments, but more so about focusing on what the team does well and trying to be as perfect as possible in those areas.

“I do believe that when you get to this point, you always look at winning teams and what do they do?” Al Horford pondered. “They buckle down and they do the little things consistently and the right way and just get to it. A lot of times we're looking for different answers, different things. But if we're solid, if we do what we need to do, that puts us in the best position.”

Mentally speaking, the Celtics are already in a great position. Battling through multiple series deficits throughout this playoff run has instilled a high level of confidence within the team, so there’s not much extra motivation that they need to get their energy up.

“It shouldn't take a hero speech or anything like that,” Jayson Tatum said of the team’s mindset heading into Game 6. “Everybody should be juiced up and ready to play. I'm not even going to say if they're not, it's a problem. Everybody is going to be ready to play. I'm not worried about that at all.”

They’re not worried about the fact that they’re coming off their first set of back-to-back losses since late March simply because they are still standing. They’ve fought too hard throughout the season to fall now.

“I do believe that the way that this team is, just too much fight,” said Horford. “There's too much fight. There are guys that are just competitive, guys that want to compete. I'm confident with our guys. I'm confident that they'll come out and that we will respond. Obviously, Golden State is a really good team, but we feel good about our group.”

Adding the fact that Game 6 will be played at home in front of what should be the loudest crowd they’ve ever encountered only amplifies their confidence and motivation.

“We have all the motivation in the world,” said Brown. “Game 6 on our home floor in front of our fans, last game in TD Garden. Nothing more needs to be said.”

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C's 'Have All the Motivation in the World' Heading Into Game 6

The Boston Celtics have been here before: down 3-2 in a best-of-seven series, searching for a way to climb out on top.

After dropping a tie-breaking Game 5 to the Golden State Warriors Monday night, the C’s will try to channel their experience from the second round when they overcame a 3-2 deficit against the Milwaukee Bucks to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.

This time, it’s the task that they must complete in order to become NBA champions.

“The message to the guys is to be confident going home,” Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said following his team’s 104-94 loss in San Francisco. “Get your rest and let's get ready to bring it back here.”

The Celtics gave themselves a chance to win Game 5 after overcoming a double-digit halftime deficit and taking a lead during an explosive third quarter in which they scored 35 points. However, they dealt with offensive stagnancy down the stretch for the second straight game, scoring just 20 points in the final frame, which led to their eventual downfall.

“For us, it's really about consistency,” said Udoka. “That's the thing we're not having throughout a full game, is consistent efforts, sustained effort, more so offensively than anything. That's the part where we got to have carryover not only game to game but quarter to quarter, where we saw it happened in the third but not the fourth.”

The Celtics put themselves in a difficult situation by not completing the comeback attempt. Though, this is a team that seems to thrive in difficult situations. This will be the fourth elimination game that they have faced in these Playoffs, and they obviously haven’t failed in one of those situations yet.

“We know what we need to do,” said Rob Williams. “We know what we've been messing up on. We’ve been here before. Got the most confidence in everybody in that locker room … We have to look each other in the eye now, our backs are up against the wall.”

Having had such success while playing with their backs against the wall has allowed the Celtics to keep their faith when facing adversity. In fact, Jaylen Brown claims that his faith is “higher than it's ever been before" coming off Monday’s loss.

“We worked incredibly hard all season to put ourselves in this position,” said Brown. “I still feel like we have so much better basketball to play that we haven't played in the last two games.

“I'm hoping that the next two games we play Celtic basketball and put our best foot forward like I know we can. I know the city is going to be behind us. It's going to be a big Game 6. Looking forward to it.”

Although they must win two games to be crowned champions, Udoka says that Game 6 is the only one they should be focused on right now. That’s the type of focus that got them over the hump against the Bucks, and it’s the type of focus that they’ll need to win out against the Warriors.

“Our message is to take it one at a time,” said the first-year head coach. “We've been here before, did it against Milwaukee. Let's bring it back out to the Bay.”

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Celtics Keep Faith Down 3-2: ‘We’ve Been Here Before’

The Golden State Warriors have been able to keep pace with the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals because of one man: Stephen Curry.

The three-time NBA champ has had a legendary start to the title series, averaging 34.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.0 steals through the first four games, which have been split evenly between Boston and Golden State.

For the Celtics to take a 3-2 lead Monday night, they’ll have to find a way to slow Curry down.

Of course, that’s easier said than done, but Marcus Smart says that he and his teammates must step up and defend Curry with greater focus and tenacity.

“For him, he can affect the game at all levels – passing, play-making, shooting the ball, scoring the ball,” Smart said of his point-guard counterpart ahead of Sunday's practice in San Francisco. “He's got the whole package, and you have to be able to guard every last thing he has, and not many players can do that. Not a lot of people, especially on that defensive end, like to sit down and play defense. It's not fun. It's not glamorous at all. You're not going to get any or much of the credit. None of that. But you have to be willing to take that challenge and just go do it when you're guarding him.”

Smart is one player who deserves a ton of credit for the way in which he has guarded Curry. In 101 head-to-head possessions against Smart in this series, Curry has shot just 5-of-15 from the field, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range. He’s also committed five turnovers during those possessions while handing out only three assists.

As Grant Williams noted, however, it can’t just be Smart doing all the dirty work against Curry. In order to slow down this one-in-a-lifetime talent, “we each have to do a better group effort.”

Smart believes that it takes a special type of mindset to handle an assignment like Curry. You can’t take even a split second off while guarding him, or else he’ll take advantage from any spot on the floor.

Curry has already proven that to be the case by knocking down 25 3-pointers through the first four games of the series, which places him just seven shy of his own Finals record of 32.

“We all know what he can do outside of 20 feet, 30 to 35, 40 feet,” Smart said. “The dude is special in that regard. The way that he's able to affect the game by being able to run around and play off the ball and get himself open, it's just tough on a defender because you can't take a break. The instant you think that he's not doing anything, the play is over for him, and that's when you get beaten. That's when you get burnt. That's when this mentality comes in and you've got to stay ready, you can't give up, you've got to keep going.”

Curry delivered a masterful, 43-point effort in Game 4 at TD Garden, singlehandedly delivering a 107-97 series-tying win for the Warriors. However, the Celtics weren’t demoralized by performance, because they know that they can do much better come Game 5 Monday night.

“Always keep it in perspective and understanding that he had a great game, but also there were a lot of things that we could have done better as a group,” said Al Horford. “And the one thing about our group is we're learning through this whole process and we're learning how to win and we're learning how to be better, and we had a really good film session, and we're expecting to have a much better game tomorrow.”

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Celtics Look to Step Up to the Curry Challenge in Game 5

Rob Williams hasn’t felt like himself of late, as he’s dealt with nagging left knee soreness throughout most of Boston’s playoff run. But that didn’t stop him from being the most impactful defender on the court for Game 3 of the NBA Finals Wednesday night when he helped to anchor a 116-100 Celtics win over the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden.

Williams led the game in each of the three major defensive categories, corralling 10 rebounds, four blocks, and three steals. He also scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and was a game-best plus-21 in his 26 minutes of action.

“Rob is really a game-changer,” frontcourt mate Al Horford said after Boston took a 2-1 series lead.  “We're very fortunate to have a guy like that that impacts winning in the way that he does, because it's beyond the numbers with him. It's just all the things that he brings, being in the right places.”

Despite dealing with constant discomfort, Williams says that his rightful place is on the court. After dreaming of playing on this Finals stage for most of his life, it’s a sacrifice that he’s more than willing to make.

“I’m just trying to be accountable for my team,” said Williams, who missed games in each of the first three rounds because of his ailing left knee. “We’ve made it this far. I had a discussion with myself, by pushing through this. I'm happy with how it's going. We'll worry about the injury after the season, but for now, I'm still fighting.”

Williams has been fighting every day, going through hours of treatment to get his knee feeling decent enough to play on for each game, and he hasn’t missed a Finals game yet after missing at least one game in each of the first three rounds.

Marcus Smart, who is no stranger to playing through pain, has helped Williams with the mental side of getting through such a fight.

“I'm constantly talking to Rob, just for the simple fact I know what he's going through,” said Smart, who has dealt with a handful of injuries of his own during this playoff run. “He's hurting, and even though he's hurt, he still wants to get out and help his team. But at the same time, he's thinking about his career. Like I just told him, you know your body. You know what you can withstand and what you can't. But just know, we've got a chance to do something special. There's no guarantees that we'll be back here.”

Knowing that there are no guarantees of getting back to this stage makes Williams want to play as hard as he possibly can despite his physical discomfort. For him, that starts with creating discomfort for any Golden State player who is willing to attack the rim.

Williams was a terrifying presence around the basket in Game 3, contesting shots, blocking shots, and being physical.

“It was huge,” Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said of Williams’ impact. “Not only the shots that he did block -- I think he got four tonight -- but the ones he altered, and his presence down there of course deters guys from driving. He was a big part of what we did.”

Williams realizes that the road won’t get any easier for him, especially since he has only one day to rest between Games 3 and 4. But he will do everything in his power to get back out there Friday night and every other night that the Celtics need him, knowing that there is a championship banner on the line.

“Knowing what I'm playing for, taking the risk of playing and getting this far, I've obviously got more work to do,” Williams said. “But it's worth it, for sure.”

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Rob Williams Proves to Be Ultimate Warrior in C's Game 3 Win

BOSTON – It’s been 12 years since the Boston Celtics last hosted an NBA Finals game, which means 12 years of energy has been building throughout the City of Champions in anticipation of their return.

The team could sense the calm before the storm Tuesday afternoon while practicing inside an empty TD Garden where, in roughly 33 hours, all of that pent-up energy would be released.

“It's going to be jumping in here,” said a “super excited” Payton Pritchard before hosting the Golden State Warriors for Game 3. “People are going to be crazy. It's obviously a really late start at 9:00, which is crazy, but it should be electric.”

It’s always electric inside TD Garden. The Celtics fans make regular-season games feel like a playoff atmosphere and they make early-round playoff games feel like a Finals atmosphere.

But a Finals game? The current C’s roster can only imagine what that environment will feel like.

Derrick White has felt the electricity surging ever since joining the team toward the beginning of its mid-season turnaround. Based on that consistent upward trajectory, he expects the roof to be blown off the building Wednesday night.

“It's amazing playing here since I got traded and throughout this whole postseason,” said the veteran combo guard, who has logged 33 points through the first two games of the series. “I already know that the Boston fans are going to bring it up a notch and maybe a couple more notches in the Playoffs, in the Finals. I'm looking forward to it, and I know everybody else loves playing in front of this crowd.”

There’s no question that the crowd will bring it, which means it’s up to the Celtics to match its energy as they look to take a 2-1 series lead.

With a 5-4 record at home in these playoffs, the C’s realize that they need to turn up their intensity at TD Garden. They’ll have some added motivation coming off of a 107-88 Game 2 defeat in San Francisco, hoping to continue their perfect playoff record in games following a loss.

“As any competitor would tell you, when you get hit in the mouth like that, there's only one way to respond,” said Marcus Smart. “And if you're not really ready to do that, then you don't need to be on this stage. This is a stage where we've got to be willing to risk it all out there for your team and for the victory.”

On basketball’s biggest stage, there is no room for stage freight. However, that’s not something to worry about with these C’s, especially after going on the road and handing Golden State its first home loss of the postseason in Game 1.

“We're not shy of the moment,” said Pritchard. “I think everybody is ready for the moment, ready for their opportunity to come and do well with it. We're going to be ready for Game 3, make things tough, and hopefully pull out this win.”

With 12 years of pent-up energy building toward this moment, they expect nothing less.

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C’s Anticipate Electric Atmosphere as Finals Return to Boston

After upsetting the Golden State Warriors in a convincing, 120-108 Finals-opening win Thursday night, the Boston Celtics had the tables turned on them in Game 2. Golden State maintained its perfect postseason record in games following a loss Sunday night, responding with a 107-88 series-tying victory at Chase Center.

Although the defeat obviously felt unsatisfactory for the C’s, they ultimately did their job by splitting the first two games and earning home-court advantage. Now, they’ve just got to do their job in Games 3 and 4 back in Boston.

Surprisingly, the C’s have performed better on the road than at home this postseason, boasting an 8-3 record in hostile territory compared to a 5-4 mark inside TD Garden. But that home record can be improved upon in Game 3 Wednesday night if the team comes out with the right mindset, bringing their patented road warrior intensity into their own arena.

“Just playing with a sense of urgency, I think,” Jayson Tatum said is the key to becoming more consistent at home. “Human nature plays a part when you go on the road, obviously it's a tough environment. I feel like recently we've kind of relaxed at home. Whether we thought because we had home-court advantage, we came out a little more relaxed. But just having that sense of urgency, knowing that we're at home, but that we need to play better at home.”

Jaylen Brown isn’t worried about the fact that the Celtics went 3-4 at TD Garden in their last two series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat. All he's focused on is staying present in this series, knowing that his team can play at an extremely high level against Golden State as they showed in Game 1.

“Nothing in the past matters up until this moment, to be honest,” Brown said. “Everything that happened in the last series and the series before, who cares. Right now, we're here playing a different opponent, a different team, and we've got to look at it as such. We've got to come out and play our best version of basketball because we're capable of doing it.”

The C’s know exactly what held them back in Game 2: it was a combination of the 12 turnovers they committed in the first half, their inefficiency from 2-point range, where they shot just 34.9 percent, and their lack of scoring outside of Tatum (28 points), Brown (17 points), and Derrick White (12 points).

“We've just got to be ready to go and learn from these mistakes that we made tonight and grow from them,” said White.

They also have to learn from their past series when it comes to not getting too comfortable after earning home-court advantage. That’s why Brown is taking a “no-satisfaction” approach into Game 3.

“Every game is its own story," said Brown. “We've got to be ready to play each and every game. So no satisfaction in winning (Game) 1. No satisfaction in, obviously, tonight. We take from it, we learn from it, and we get ready for the next one.”

The next one should be a special one, given that it will be the first Finals game hosted at TD Garden in 12 years. Al Horford doesn’t want that opportunity to go to waste.

“On to Game 3. I can't wait to get to the Garden,” said the 15-year veteran. “I know it's going to be rockin’ on Wednesday.”

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Celtics Excited to Return Home After Splitting in San Fran

The Golden State Warriors did everything they could to keep Jayson Tatum out of the scoring column in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night, limiting him to just 12 points on 3-of-17 shooting.

The Celtics superstar responded to Golden State’s suffocating double-teams by shifting into playmaking mode, as he helped to create 35 points for his teammates via a career-high 13 assists in a 120-108 win over the host Warriors.

“I just tried to impact the game in other ways,” Tatum said of the adjustments he made against Golden State’s high-pressure defense. “We're in the championship. We're in the Finals. All I was worried about was trying to get a win, and we did.”

A year ago, Tatum may not have been able to shift into a different gear so smoothly, but that was before he evolved into an elite distributor.

Teams are no longer able to take Tatum out of a game by simply loading up on him because he’s learned to make quick decisions and make the right decisions with the ball.

Pairing his developing passing ability with his scoring ability has turned Tatum into a complete superstar, which he has proven in these playoffs by leading all participants in both total points and assists.

“He's an unbelievable playmaker,” said Payton Pritchard. "Obviously we know he can score at the highest of levels. But when you can score and pass like he is … It's a game-changer. It makes teams play you completely different, which in the end if we do our job and hit the shots he's kicking to us, it's going to open up more for him.”

Draymond Green noticed Tatum’s transformation into a more impactful playmaker and he believes it is “a direct reflection of Ime Udoka and the respect that he’s commanded from this team and what he’s taught his guys and how he’s helped them grow.”

Sure enough, Tatum’s playmaking was an attribute that Udoka focused on from the day stepped into Boston’s head coaching position last summer. Turning him into more of a complete offensive weapon benefits the entire team because when his shot isn’t falling, he’ll make sure to create opportunities for his teammates.

“I think that was kind of his message from day one,” Tatum said, “just to challenge me to be the best player that I can be and improve other areas of my game. We watched a lot of film throughout the course of the season of games, just areas, things I could improve on – obviously, playmaking was one. Drawing a lot of attention. Just help the team out as much as possible.”

Marcus Smart, Boston’s primary playmaker, says it has helped tremendously to have another facilitator on the floor, especially at this stage of the season. Tatum has already had 14 five-assist efforts in these playoffs after having 14 such efforts in his first four postseasons combined.

“All year leading up to this we've been kind of grooming and preparing Jayson for these moments where teams are going to key in on you so much that they try to take you out of the game,” said Smart, who had 18 points in Game 1. “You have to be able to make plays and affect the game in different ways.”

Tatum says that he hopes to affect Game 2 more with his scoring, but also knows that he can pull some plays out of his back pocket for when Golden State loads up against him. Having such a development in his game is what has allowed him to take the next step in his superstardom.