C’s combat more 3rd-quarter woes: ‘Didn’t panic’

BOSTON — As soon as once more, the Boston Celtics discovered themselves being pummeled by the Golden State Warriors in a 3rd quarter.

And as Stephen Curry’s 3-pointer fell by way of the basket with 3 minutes, 45 seconds to go within the third quarter of Sport 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday evening, capping a 10-0 Golden State run and making it 83-82 Warriors, there was a collective groan from the sold-out crowd inside TD Backyard:

Right here we go, once more.

Solely, the Celtics — for the second time on this sequence — discovered a manner to reply to a Warriors punch to the jaw within the third quarter with their very own haymaker within the fourth, limiting Golden State to only 11 fourth-quarter factors as Boston went on to win 116-100, lifting the C’s to a 2-1 sequence lead.

“I felt like our workforce actually stayed poised in these moments,” Celtics heart Al Horford stated. “As you understand, earlier within the yr, that would have gone south rapidly.

“However we stayed proper with it and simply locked in and did not panic and simply continued to play.”

As Horford alluded to, Boston hasn’t been a workforce able to doing that every one season lengthy. However because the Celtics flipped their season round for good in late January, they’ve proved to be extremely resilient. Wednesday’s Sport 3 victory noticed Boston enhance to 7-0 in these playoffs in video games following a loss, and the Celtics have but to lose back-to-back video games on this postseason.

Since Jan. 23, the Celtics have gone 13-1 in video games following a loss.

“I believe that is form of after we turned our season round, after we turned that nook,” Jayson Tatum stated. “Earlier within the season, we’d have given up leads and misplaced video games like that, whereas now — issues occur, proper. They’re an awesome workforce. They have nice gamers. They will make photographs. They will go on runs. Nevertheless it’s all about the way you reply.

“We did not maintain our head down or something. We known as a timeout, regrouped, figured it out and made profitable performs. I used to be positively happy with the group for that.”

The Celtics had to try this as a result of, as soon as once more, they didn’t get any traction within the third quarter. Golden State has now outscored Boston by 43 factors throughout the three third quarters thus far on this sequence, because the Warriors have repeatedly been in a position to twist the Celtics into knots defensively.

That, after all, is pushed by Stephen Curry, who completed with 31 factors on 12-for-22 capturing in 37 minutes, and who generated a 7-point possession by hitting a 3 whereas being flagrantly fouled by Horford, permitting Curry to then hit the free throw adopted by Otto Porter Jr. flattening one other 3.

A minute later, that Curry 3 put Golden State up, and put Boston again on its heels.

However reasonably than crumble, the Celtics responded. They went on an 11-6 run over the ultimate jiffy of the third quarter to retake the lead heading into the fourth. From there, the Celtics outscored Golden State 23-11, holding the Warriors to only one basket over the primary three minutes as Boston went on a fast 9-2 run to balloon its lead again up into double-digits.

“For me, it was simply be poised,” Marcus Good stated. “Simply keep calm. We have been right here earlier than. They seem to be a actually good workforce. They will go on runs, however so are we. We simply must bolt down and go on our run.”

It helped that Boston had Robert Williams III patrolling the paint. Whereas Tatum, Good and Jaylen Brown all put up greater than 20 factors, 5 rebounds and 5 assists — turning into the primary trio of teammates to perform that feat in an NBA Finals sport since Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper did it for the Los Angeles Lakers in opposition to the Celtics in 1984 — it was Williams who was a team-best plus-21 in 25 minutes, and who completed with 8 factors, 10 rebounds, 4 blocked photographs and a mountain of hustle performs.

“He is a sport changer,” Horford stated. “Rob can be a sport changer. We’re very lucky to have a man like that that impacts profitable in the way in which that he does, as a result of it is past the numbers with him. It is simply all of the issues that he brings, being in the proper locations. I have been so impressed with Rob, simply his means to only proceed to get higher and be taught.

“He learns. We speak to him, I really feel like we will ask loads of him and he all the time takes it in, figures it out, and it is higher. However his stuff goes past the field rating, the influence that he has on the sport.”

Williams has seen that influence fluctuate from sport to sport all through these playoffs, as he has been coping with points together with his left knee for greater than two months. He had surgical procedure on his meniscus in that knee on the finish of March, which knocked him out for the tip of the common season and the start of Boston’s first-round playoff sequence in opposition to the Brooklyn Nets.

He then suffered a bone bruise in that very same knee in Boston’s second-round sequence in opposition to the Milwaukee Bucks, inflicting him to overlook the ultimate three video games of that sequence, in addition to Sport 3 of the Japanese Convention finals in opposition to the Miami Warmth. Since then, Williams has been questionable each sport — solely to be cleared within the hours main as much as tipoff.

“It has been tough,” Williams stated of managing his knee. “Throwing every part at it. Often it is extra sore the day after the sport, clearly, adrenaline taking place. However we did some various things right now, bought on the bike somewhat bit earlier earlier than the sport. I benefited from it.”

That he was feeling good was clear. Williams was in all places on the courtroom, always scrambling for unfastened balls, flying throughout the lane to contest photographs and discovering himself within the heart of the motion always.

“I am always speaking to Rob, only for the straightforward reality I do know what he is going by way of,” Good stated. “He is hurting, and despite the fact that he is harm he nonetheless desires to get out and assist his workforce. However on the similar time, he is occupied with his profession. Like I simply instructed him, ‘You recognize your physique. You recognize what you may stand up to and what you may’t. However simply know, we have got an opportunity to do one thing particular. There is no ensures that we’ll be again right here. Should you can go, we’ll take 20 % of you higher than none of you.’

“He understood that, and he determined to go on the market and put his huge boy pants on and suck it up and go loopy.”

The Celtics spent the three days between their ugly Sport 2 loss and Sport 3 speaking about the necessity to play with extra vitality and energy. That message was evident from the opening tip, as Boston instantly set the tone with its bodily play at each ends. Boston received the rebounding battle by 16, together with grabbing 15 offensive rebounds, and did not permit Golden State to hurry issues up, committing simply 12 turnovers — together with just one within the fourth.

In consequence, Boston is now two wins away from a championship. And, after as soon as once more bouncing again from a loss — in addition to a physique blow from the Warriors through the sport itself — the Celtics now must do what they’ve so usually didn’t do in these playoffs: reply like this to a win.

“One other bounce-back from us,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka stated. “My message to the group was, ‘We have finished this after losses, let’s reply the proper manner after a win now.’”