With a 122-114 on Friday night time in opposition to the Utah Jazz, the Boston Celtics at the moment are winners of two straight video games heading into the ultimate 4 video games of the season. Whereas the percentages are slim, the Celtics nonetheless have a slim likelihood on the one seed in the event that they win out and the Bucks falter.
Because the common season is ready to run out, each single recreation means extra due to seeding, particularly for the Celtics. That proved to be much more true on Friday night time, as Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 39 factors on 12-of-17 taking pictures, together with 5-of-8 from three to associate with 11 rebounds, three assists, and three steals. It may need been a totally totally different consequence if Tatum hadn’t performed, and reality be advised, he wasn’t imagined to.
After their large win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night time, the Celtics boarded their airplane to move again to Boston that night time; that flight by no means obtained off the runway. Because of sickness, their pilot was unable to fly them again dwelling, and after about half-hour, the group deboarded and headed again to a lodge, the place they confronted points discovering rooms to sleep in. Due to their sudden flight and lodge points, the Celtics left the following day for Boston, and didn’t get again on the town till 1:30 pm after a late night time.
“I wasn’t actually imagined to play at the moment. We have been speaking on the airplane… it was like, ‘we’re all on this collectively.”
JT talks concerning the C’s rallying tonight after flying in from Milwaukee at the moment pic.twitter.com/0TlrpQ5f1z
— Celtics on NBC Sports activities Boston (@NBCSCeltics) April 1, 2023
“I wasn’t suppose to play at the moment, however we have been speaking on the airplane that we’re all on this collectively,” stated Tatum. “So I simply wished to undergo it with the fellows and rock out and play and determine it out.” Tatum described the win over Utah as “rewarding” after the group handled all of their journey points main into Friday night time.
This isn’t the primary time journey points have come up this week, with Jaylen Brown citing site visitors as an issue following the Celtics 130-111 loss to the Washington Wizards. Even when they did have authentic points in Milwaukee, or have been on the second night time of a back-to-back, the Celtics weren’t trying to give excuses in the event that they got here out flat in opposition to the Jazz at TD Backyard.
“That’s why that form of put it over the sting for me to play at the moment,” Tatum stated. “We talked about it within the locker room yesterday, earlier than we knew that we have been gonna have to remain in Milwaukee, that final night time didn’t imply something if we don’t win at the moment (in opposition to Utah).”
Shedding on the second night time of a back-to-back is already a built-in excuse for most individuals; it’s the identical excuse that was getting used for the Bucks after they let the Celtics drop 140 on their heads in their very own home. However for this case, it wasn’t simply the back-to-back, it was Murphy’s Legislation in full impact.
“So every part that occurred, we may have made an excuse,” stated Tatum. “But it surely simply form of introduced us nearer collectively, proper? Everyone simply was like, ‘It’s not going to be excellent however we’re going to determine a method to win this recreation.’”
That sentiment is what separates the great groups from the remainder of the pack, and the makings of a championship squad. It’s not fairly, it’s actually not excellent, however good groups discover a method to win ugly video games whatever the circumstances stacked in opposition to them. That’s precisely what the Celtics did Friday in opposition to Utah.
Quickly sufficient, the common season will come to a detailed, the play-in event will kick off, and the playoffs shall be underway. The previous few months have been a curler coaster for the Celtics, with some highs and lows sprinkled in that had most individuals questioning what sort of group was going to point out up on any given night time. After their wins in opposition to Milwaukee and Utah, there’s no inkling of a doubt what group we are going to see come playoff time. Boston fits up subsequent in opposition to Philadelphia on Tuesday, 8 pm EST tipoff.