“We’ve been doing it all season… It’s kind of part of us, in our nature now” - 1x DPOY says the Boston Celtics have been forced to play with their backs on the wall this season, believes they have to play better that way
After dropping Game 5 of the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics are on their heels as they attempt to keep their season alive. They will now have to travel back home and steal a win on their court to force a pivotal Game 7 against the Golden State Warriors.
One player who is not worried about the current circumstances is Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart. While he's aware of the position the Boston Celtics find themselves in, he is confident in their ability to perform with their backs against the wall.
"we've been really on that back end of catching up with everybody else so we've kind of been forced to play with our backs against the wall and we, we got real used to it, where it's kind of part of us in our nature now so it's nothing new to us. It's another game, it's another tough game and it's in our house."
Smart brings up a good point. While they are in the Finals now, this was not always the trajectory for Boston. During the first half of the regular season, their struggles were so apparent that many were labeling them the next team to split up their star duo. They then managed to come together and go on an incredible run in the second half of the year to propel themselves to where they are now.
We’ve climbed out of a 3-2 series hole earlier in these playoffs, and our team has faith that we can do it again.
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Can the Boston Celtics force a Game 7 in the NBA Finals
Things don't look great for the Boston Celtics right now, but they should still not be counted out. Being on their home court, the pieces are in place for them to pull off a do-or-die win.
We've already seen what the Boston Celtics can do in the postseason when it matters most. Pitted against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, they managed to secure a huge Game 7 vicotry thanks to an incredible showing from Grant Williams.
Jayson Tatum on the challenge of overcoming a 3-2 deficit: “I think having done it before should give you even more confidence that you can.”
Boston was an underdog against the Bucks, and that has not changed here in the finals. Facing off against the title-winning trio of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson, most were quick to count out the inexperienced Celtics.
The biggest takeaway from Smart's comments is that the Boston Celtics are still confident in themselves and what they can do. Even though they are staring elimination in the face, they have no intentions of making things easy for the Warriors in Game 6.