How a ‘dark’ postseason has turned the Celtics around
The Celtics appeared to get over their slump against the New York Knicks, blowing them away in Game 3.
The Boston Celtics finally turned their frown upside down, with a crushing 93-115 win coming in Game 3 of the series against the New York Knicks, who had previously sailed to a 2-0 lead.
Payton Pritchard led the way with 23 points off the bench but that does not take away from the fact that everyone in green came out swinging in a must-win match, highlighting the strong mentality that we’ve become used to seeing from the side.
Coach Joe Mazzulla had said that falling behind by 2 games off the bat was “dark, but in a good way“, and that became the unofficial slogan of the postseason for the Celtics. After the game, he returned to this theme.
“This is the fun part; you don’t get into the journey for it to be easy,” Mazzulla said. “You’ve got to tap into your darkness, that’s it.”
Sticking together through it all ☘️ pic.twitter.com/OFUIIn4UtL
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 11, 2025
‘You got to beat us four times’
As expected for one of the most successful teams in basketball history, the talk around the Celtics and their performances was of high media value, with plenty of pundits and analysts keen to point out what had gone wrong early on. “Who cares what the outside world is saying,” Celtics guard Payton Pritchard defiantly declared afterwards, “‘We shoot too many 3s.’ Everybody’s all saying that, but if you believe in your shot and you’re able to hit it, then take it confidently.”
As for Tatum, he promised that he “wasn’t trying to prove anything today to anybody”, admitting that “It was an important game. It was important for us to respond as a team and just wanted to come out here and win. And that’s all that was really on my mind.”
“You got to beat us four times; that’s what it comes down to,” Brown said, continuing the theme of confidence and enjoyment from the rest of the roster. “Not twice, not once, not three. So, it’s a lot of basketball to be played.”
It's all about mindset 🧠 pic.twitter.com/dFjuNOdyEn
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 10, 2025
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The next game between the Celtics and the Knicks will take place on Monday, May 12, 2025, at 7:30 PM Eastern Time (ET) at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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