Celtics are in 'just win' mode while facing elimination
BOSTON -- Forget about collapsing in Game 4. And forget about stinking for most of Game 5. The Boston Celtics need to have only one thing on their mind Thursday night: Just win.
Win by any means necessary. Because if you don't, there is no tomorrow.
The Celtics once again have their backs against the wall. They trail the Golden State Warriors 3-2 in the NBA Finals, and a win Thursday night in Game 6 will earn them a return trip to San Francisco for a Game 7 on Sunday night.
A loss and we'll have to relive those aforementioned disappointments over and over again all summer long. And who wants a summer full of second-guessing?
Just win. Win by two or win by 20. Win in blowout fashion or win a close one ugly. Just. Win.
The Celtics are 3-0 when facing elimination this postseason, so they are no strangers to this spot. They trailed the Milwaukee Bucks 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals before rattling off two epic victories; a 46-point masterpiece by Jayson Tatum on the road in Game 6, and a blowout win in Boston in Game 7.
It wasn't looking great for the Celtics after they dropped Game 6 to the Miami Heat -- at home -- in the Eastern Conference Finals. But they returned to Miami and won Game 7, surviving a late surge by the Heat to earn their spot in the NBA Finals.
Those battles have them ready for what they're about to face Thursday night.
"Having done it before should give you even more confidence that you can," Tatum said Wednesday. "It's not going to be easy or given to us, but you should be confident if you have a chance. We have a chance [Thursday]."
"We haven't backed down from a challenge all season so it's no different now," added Jaylen Brown. "We wear every experience as a badge of honor and take everything we learn into the next game. We're looking forward to Game 6, coming out and getting a win and forcing a Game 7."
"We've been in pressure games like this before," Al Horford said Wednesday. "Obviously never in the Finals. But I do believe that the way this team is, there is just too much fight. The guys want to compete and I'm confident that we will respond. Golden State is a really good team, but we feel good about our group."
Boston is back in survival mode, this time against an opponent that is looking for its fourth NBA title in the last eight years. The Warriors know what it takes to win it all. The jury is still out on the Celtics.
They've won with their backs against the wall before this postseason, but this is their most daunting task yet. Boston has shown that it came beat Golden State over the years, but the Celtics need to stop beating themselves right now. Otherwise the Warriors will be celebrating on the TD Garden floor on Thursday night.
Stop throwing it out of bounds to no one. Stop dribbling off your leg and giving it to the Warriors. The margin of error is nearly gone, and another 18-turnover game will certainly send the C's into the offseason.
Stop missing free throws. Stop looking (or begging/screaming) for bailouts from the refs and get back on defense. Stop letting the best three-point shooter ever get wide open looks.
Let's get another epic Game 6 performance from Tatum. Another early explosion from Brown. More great passing from Marcus Smart, more emphatic (and demoralizing) blocks from Robert Williams, and some timely buckets from Horford and Derrick White.
"We're not scared; we don't fear the Golden State Warriors," Brown said Wednesday. "We just want to come out and play the best basketball we can. We have all the belief in ourselves. We're going to come out and leave it all out there."
Just go out and win. Play the basketball that got you here -- the basketball that turned you from a team stuck under .500 in January to the No. 2 seed in the East by May. Play like the best defense in the league. Play like a team that knows how to score. Stop playing like a bunch of... well, you know what Ime Udoka would say here.
The Celtics can still win this title. Whether they will is a whole other question. They once again have to overcome adversity to reach their ultimate goal.
It all starts with getting a win Thursday night. That is really all that really matters for the Celtics at this point.
"First to four, so it's not over," Tatum said Wednesday. "As long as it's not over and you've got a chance."