What Joe Mazzulla Told Celtics In Locker Room After Key Game 4 Win
The Boston Celtics gave themselves a chance to close out the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night at TD Garden by taking care of business in Game 4.
Jayson Tatum erupted for a game-high 37 points and 14 rebounds while Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis netted 21 and 19, respectively, as the Celtics took a 3-1 series lead with a 107-98 win Sunday night at Kia Center.
It was a much-needed answer from the Celtics after dropping Game 3. They stood up to the rampant physcality of the Magic, putting Orlando on the brink and getting Boston a step closer to repeating as NBA champions.
The Celtics pulled back the curtain with a video of Joe Mazzulla’s post-game locker room speech and Mazzulla felt his team showed a lot in the key first-round win.
“Hey, great bounce back,” Mazzulla said. “All the playoffs do is challenge and ask you the question of do you really want it and are you willing to do whatever it takes to get what you want? And that’s the test. Do we want it? How bad are we willing to do whatever it takes to do it? Tonight we showed that. We have to keep it up. But you showed what we’re capable of.”
Al Horford’s play clearly illustrated someone doing whatever was asked of him to help propel the Celtics to a playoff victory. The veteran center only scored six points, but served as a defensive menace, racking up five blocks — Horford became just the second player in NBA history at 38 years old or older to swat away that many shots in a playoff game, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Horford’s rim protection was even more vital with Kristaps Porzingis limited to 22 minutes due to foul trouble.
The Celtics will have to maintain their intensity against the pesky, driven and hard-playing Magic in Game 5. That’s especially true with Jrue Holiday already ruled out for a third straight game due to a right hamstring strain.
And if the Celtics don’t keep the mindset that Mazzulla applauded, they just might have to get on a plane and head back to Orlando.