USA Today via Reuters
Sep 19, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) dunks against Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn (25) during the second half of game three of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2020 NBA Playoffs at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 19, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) dunks against Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn (25) during the second half of game three of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2020 NBA Playoffs at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Boston Celtics rebounded from two losses in the Conference Finals with a game three win. The Miami Heat looked out of sorts as the Celtics played some good basketball to ensure they don’t fall behind by three games. Boston saw massive contributions from everyone, but especially Jayson Tatum.
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Tatum spoke to the media after the game. He was asked about the locker-room confrontation from Game 2, which made headlines for the last two days.
“Basketball’s a game of emotions. You want guys to be frustrated, to be upset, to care. It’s nothing personal.”
—Tatum on the Celtics locker room getting heated after they fell to 0-2 pic.twitter.com/8SIQdeEiFV
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 20, 2020
“Anybody that’s played in a team game, we aren’t supposed to be happy when we are down two. If you are, you don’t care. I care about this. Basketball is a game of emotions. You want guys to be frustrated and upset to care, it’s nothing personal. We just got to figure some things out, so it’s nothing more than that.”
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Boston Celtics rally together to stop the Heat’s momentum
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 17, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) reacts during introductions while wearing a shirt that says ÒVOTEÓ before game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2020 NBA Playoffs against the Miami Heat at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Celtics are the underdogs in this series at this point. However, Game 3 reminded everyone why they were the higher seed in this series. Boston has four players that can easily drop 20 points each, and their potency was on display tonight. Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, and Jaylen Brown joined Tatum with 20 or more points in this game. Gordon Hayward returned from injury as well.
The fight from Game 2 has brought this locker room closer together. The players are fighting for each other on the court, rather than against each other. They found the offensive and defensive rhythm that they had missed in game two. The scoreline from tonight is deceptive, as Boston controlled this game for large portions.
Whether this new chemistry can help them turn the series around and possibly eliminate the Heat is yet to be seen. But from what Game 3 indicates, there is a very real chance that Boston makes a comeback.
