As the Boston Celtics faced a daunting 2-0 deficit heading into Saturday’s crucial Game 3, coach Joe Mazzulla emphasized the need for his team to dig deep and tap into their inner strength.
“You’ve got to tap into your darkness,” he said, a sentiment that seemed to resonate with his players, who responded with arguably their best performance of the playoffs, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
The Celtics jumped out to an early lead, quickly establishing control over the game, and never looked back, cruising to a dominant 115-93 victory.
Mazzulla’s perspective was shaped by his belief that adversity is a constant part of the journey, especially in the high-stakes world of playoff basketball.
“If you plan on doing this for a long time, trust me, it’ll be a lot worse than the last 72 hours, and that’s the perspective you have to have,” Mazzulla shared. “This is the fun part. I didn’t get into the journey for it to be easy. It’s been dark, but in a good way.”
One of the biggest challenges the Celtics faced in the first two games was their inability to hit shots from beyond the arc.
In Game 1, they set a playoff record by missing 45 three-point attempts, and as a team, they had struggled with just a 25% shooting percentage from deep in the first two games.
However, in Game 3, Boston’s shooting woes disappeared, and they overwhelmed the Knicks from three-point range, hitting an impressive 20-of-40 attempts.
Jayson Tatum, who had been struggling from long range in the earlier games, found his rhythm in Game 3. He made five of his nine three-point attempts and reflected on the responsibility of being a leader during challenging moments.
“You just understand what comes with being that guy,” Tatum said. “I get a lot of praise, I get a lot of credit, I get a lot of accolades, but I’m not perfect. And there’s times where I’ve needed to play better, I’ve needed to do more, and that’s what comes with being that guy.”
Celtics Notes: Game 3 Win, Tatum, Porzingis, Pritchard, Mazzulla https://t.co/1TuNJGzQTx pic.twitter.com/UNrOuiKLpH
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) May 11, 2025
