Nikola Jokic's brother celebrates Denver's NBA Finals qualification with Michael Malone (from Twitter)
Boston already looked broken, conflicted and exhausted, and many in the United States did not believe it could avoid a sweep against tough and cohesive Miami. But tonight (Tuesday through Wednesday), in Game 99 of the Eastern Conference Finals, there may have been the start of a brilliant comeback.
The Celtics defeated Miami 116-3 in Florida after a second-half explosion that gave the impression that they were determined to prove the visitors wrong, and believed they could do what had never happened before and come back from falling behind 0-150 in a playoff series. 0 series in history have gone 3-34 after three games and none of them have ended in a turnaround, but Boston believes it's possible.
"We take it game by game, but we also know how quality we are, and we understand that until now the balance of power between the teams hasn't been reflected as it really is," said Jayson Tatum, who excelled with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 22 assists, sweeping the Celtics on a 48-25 run in the second half in which he scored <> points.
Only together will it work. Tatum and Robert Williams (Photo by Getty Images, Megan Briggs)
The Celtics have heard the criticism in recent days, as well as reports from team sources that have revealed tense relationships in the locker room and a bad atmosphere between players and coach. The Ringer wrote that "according to a Celtics source, the players already feel they can't fake affection for each other anymore." Other reports claimed that the players were disappointed that the team had finally relinquished coach Ime Yudoka, and that they were not convinced that current coach Joe Mazzulla was the right man for the job.
But yesterday, after the team's shooting practice, the players decided to organize a night out together to relieve the tension. They met at a golf course, had fun and had fun, and came out strong. That's where they think the explosion came from in the second half.
"We started hearing all kinds of stories about us, stories about X and Y... I can honestly say that 99% of these stories aren't true at all," Jaylen Brown said. "A lot of times when a team goes into a hole like that, when they're 3-0 behind in the playoffs, you see locker rooms going in different directions. We wanted to make sure that we stayed together, that we continued to be for each other. That's what we did today."
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Don't the actors connect with him? In any case, they have a lot to prove. Joe Mazzulla (Photo: Reuters)
Suddenly, the series, which had already seemed completely in Miami's hands, reopened. Or so Charles Barkley claims. "I think Boston will take Game 5 by a walk," the TNT commentator said. "With the renewed energy of the players, with the craziness of the crowd, with the feeling that a comeback can be made, they're going to dismantle Miami in Game 5, and they're not going to have a chance. Game 6 in Miami is coming, and as far as the Heat are concerned, they're going to have to treat it like Game 7."
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