Celtics have a "Don't let us win one" mindset heading into Game 4
MIAMI -- The Celtics tend to take the hard road, but nobody expected they'd be down 3-0 to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston is looking to stave off elimination and keep its season going with a win Tuesday night in MIami.
It shouldn't be difficult to play better than they did Sunday night, when the Celtics were never really in Game 3 and ended up getting blown out by the Heat. They looked like a team that had quit, leaving many to wonder if they'll bother to show up for Game 4.
After the team's morning shootaround in Miami, the Celtics are very much determined to go out and play their best game of the season on Tuesday night. And they have a simple message for the Heat.
"I feel very good about tonight. Don't let us get one," said Marcus Smart.
Jaylen Brown echoed that sentiment.
"Don't let us get one. Don't let us get tonight," said Brown. "Our mindset is if you let us get one, we'll feel confident. We're going to come out and play free, play ready, and we should be fine."
It's reminiscent of Kevin Millar's rallying cry in 2004 when the Boston Red Sox went down 3-0 to the New York Yankees in the ALCS. The Red Sox fought back for a thrilling comeback win in Game 4 and then again in Game 5, before taking the final two games in New York to complete a once-in-a-lifetime comeback.
"That's right," Smart said when asked if he was channeling his inner-Millar on Tuesday. "Big time baby!"
A 3-0 series comeback has never been done in the NBA. The Celtics would love to go out and change that over the next week.
"It's pretty black and white. Miami has been playing better basketball than us," said Brown. "If we want to win, we have to play better basketball than them."
There have been a lot of issues for the Celtics over the last three games. Their defensive intensity has been severely lacking, with players failing to get back when Miami kicks into transition and no one really putting up a fight to get through Heat screens. Boston also isn't defending the perimeter, with the Heat shooting a robust 48 percent from 3-point range in the series.
Add in offensive struggles from the likes of Jayson Tatum and Brown, plus the team's overall lack of fight, and it's easy to see why the Celtics are in such a hole. But on Tuesday, the focus will be on just getting a win.
"We can't worry about our mistakes from the last few games. We have to come out with all our focus on tonight, every little detail, and we'll get a victory," said Smart. "For us, it's just keep playing. They've hit a lot of shots and we've been in these games. Last game was the only game we weren't in it. Just keep playing and clean it up. It's never easy at this stage but we have to lean on each other."
"Our backs against the wall, it's win or go home -- win or the season is over," said Brown. "We have to leave it all out there and come in with a fight mentality. We definitely can't have any regrets on the court."
"At this point, we have nothing to lose," said Smart. "We just have to go out and leave it all on the court."
