26 May 2023 , 11:57
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The Boston Celtics are not going away quietly and have kept themselves in with a big chance of making NBA Playoff history.
Speaking before the game, head coach Joe Mazzulla told the media that their mentality had been 'just win or die', and the Celtics came out showing that kind of fire - dominating the Miami Heat early on with a 15-point lead in the first quarter.
Throughout the first three games, the Celtics were outplayed by Jimmy Butler and the Heat - who bullied them physically and mentally - with the series looking destined for a sweep.
That had been a huge surprise coming in, with the second seeded C's being made the oddsmakers favourites to win the title, and Miami having the longest odds after they scraped into the playoffs via the play-in tournament to claim the eighth seed.
With Miami dominating all facets to storm into a 3-0 lead, the Celtics have finally looked back to their best in claiming the next two games - finding themselves two games away from overturning the deficit - something that no team has ever done in NBA history.
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With their performances on the court improving, the Celtics confidence is returning over what they can do in the last two games, to complete a remarkable turnaround.
Speaking after the game, superstar Jayson Tatum said: "What I do know is that you can see the true character of a person, of a team, when things aren't going well, and our ability to come together, figure things out when it's not necessarily looking good for us. It's unlike any team I've been on this year and last year, just the core group of guys being able to respond.
"I think that's just a testament to our togetherness, obviously how bad we want it, and we've got a room full of determined, tough guys that push comes to shove, you look to the left and the right of you, believe that the guy next to you is going to do whatever it takes and go down fighting if it don't work out."
The C's will need Jayson Tatum back to his best if they are to pull off the comebackThe Celtics' two superstars, Tatum and Brown have both had their struggles in the playoffs after what was an incredibly strong regular season. And while they impressed on Thursday night, it was Boston's depth that made the difference, with Marcus Smart and Derrick White stepping up hugely to combine for 47 points.
"Our back has been against the wall," Brown said.
"Obviously, we didn't imagine being in this position, being down 3-0, but when adversity hits, you get to see what a team is really made of. It couldn't get worse than being down 3-0, but we didn't look around, we didn't go in separate directions. We stayed together.
"It's going to take everything. It's going to be a dogfight. I imagine those guys will play better than they played tonight, and they're going to come out aggressive.
"We've got to be ready to take their punch at home. We've got to be ready to be resilient and come out and do what we're supposed to do."
Should the C's have any chance, they'll need big nights from their two All-Stars on Saturday, when they return to Miami for Game Six.