Facing Elimination, Celtics Remain A Confident Bunch As Eastern Conference Finals Head Back To Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Celtics will look to keep their season alive when the Eastern Conference Finals shifts back to Boston on Thursday night.
The Cavaliers own a 3-1 series lead following Tuesday night's 112-99 win in Game 4, and after dropping the first two games of the series on their home floor in embarrassing fashion, the Celtics are eager to give their fans the game they deserve on Thursday night.
"We owe our fans a better performance and we know that," guard Avery Bradley said after scoring a team-high 19 points in Tuesday night's loss. "We're going to play hard. You're going to see a team playing hard -- very hard -- the entire game."
Bradley made a similar statement after Boston's 130-86 drubbing in Game 2 and the Celtics responded with a dramatic 111-108 victory in Game 3 to earn themselves another home game this season. And despite letting a 10-point halftime lead (and 16-point advantage in the second quarter) slip way in Game 4, the Celtics sound like a confident bunch with the series heading back to Boston.
"We're in a good place," said Al Horford, who finished with 16 points and seven assists but just three rebounds in Game 4. "Our backs are against the wall, but we feel like we're playing better basketball. We'll make some adjustments and get ready for Thursday."
"We feel good. We're spirited and we're going to go out Thursday and play hard," said forward Kelly Olynyk, who got the start in place of an injured Amir Johnson in Game 4. "We're going to play the same way, move the ball and move our bodies, play basketball the right way on both ends of the floor, and play together."
While the Cavaliers got an out-of-this-world performance from Kyrie Irving, who scored 21 of his 42 points in the third quarter as the Cavs staged their comeback, turnovers really did them in over the final 24 minutes of Game 4. After turning the ball over just three times in the first half, Boston gave it away nine times in the second half which allowed the Cavaliers to run wild. Add in some ugly team defense over the final 12 minutes, and the Celtics' season is holding on for dear life.
They'll break down those mistakes over the next two days and make the necessary improvements in hopes of forcing a Game 6 in Cleveland on Saturday night.
"We know that we have a small margin, but we know that if we play the next play the right way, he have a chance to win that possession," said head coach Brad Stevens. "You just try to add those up to win the game. I think our guys did a lot well; I'll go back and look at it and see what we need to get better at."
The C's will be counting on the TD Garden crowd to be at their best on Thursday night.
"A lot of energy. We need it to be very lively and we'll go out there and fight," said Horford. "I'm just excited that we have another opportunity and will hopefully be able to come out on top."
