The Boston Celtics will need to create NBA history in order to keep their season alive after falling 3-0 down to the Miami Heat in their Conference Finals series; watch Game 4 live on Sky Sports from 1.30am in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Monday 22 May 2023 12:33, UK
Jaylen Brown dubbed it "embarrassing", young head coach Joe Mazzulla blamed himself and the Boston Celtics as a collective were left to ponder where things went wrong as they suffered a crushing Game 3 loss to the Miami Heat that leaves their season on the brink of an unwelcome conclusion.
The Celtics were beaten 128-102 by a rampant Miami on Monday to fall 3-0 down in the series and staring at the exit door little under a year on from losing to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Mazzulla's side fell shy in all departments as they shot just 39.8 per cent from the field to the Heat's 56.8, as well as 26.2 per cent from behind the arc compared to Miami's 54.3. The hosts led by as many as 33 points at one stage in the game as Gabe Vincent led the way with 29 points.
"I don't even know where to start," Brown said after the game. "It's an obvious letdown. I feel like we let our fan base, organisation down. We let ourselves down. And it was collective. We can point fingers, but in reality, it was just embarrassing."
Jayson Tatum, who had erupted in Boston's decisive Game 7 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in the Conference semi-finals, managed just 14 points, 10 rebounds and two assists for the Celtics after shooting six of 18 from the field.
For all of his and the Celtics' supremacy from deep to sink Philly, it has been from downtown where they have struggled against the Heat, with Boston currently shooting 29.2 per cent from three-point range in the series.
With regards to expected criticism, Tatum admitted afterwards that he has sought to shut out all noise, positive and negative, since the beginning of the postseason.
"I deleted Twitter from my phone to start the playoffs," he noted. "Honestly, I haven't seen anything good, bad or indifferent since Game 1 against the Hawks. I'm certain after every game you win, you're the best player and the best team, and when you lose, you're not the star and the team is not good enough.
"I'm certain there will be some of that, but out of sight, out of mind. You don't see it, because that's not what's important. What's important is the guys in the locker room, team-mates, coaches, and we're all in this together just trying to figure it out."
The Celtics would make NBA history were they to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series.
"I think just, as tough as it is, as tonight was, we've just got to try to move on," Tatum added. "Prepare, get ready, practice, film and stuff for tomorrow. Obviously, we're in a tough position, but we've just got to have some pride, bounce back, and just be better come Tuesday."
Mazzulla, the youngest coach in the NBA, consistently shouldered the blame during his post-game press conference, admitting he "didn't have them ready to play".
"I think the most important thing is just sticking together, and then I have to be better," said Mazzulla. "I've got to put them in better positions. I've got to get them ready to play. I have to have the game plan ready for us to be physical and to execute, and it's important that we stick together."
The 34-year-old was officially appointed head coach on February 16 having served as the interim head coach since the suspension of Ime Udoka.
Boston will look to pull a game back when they meet the Heat in Game 4, live on Sky Sports in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
