Time to finally find out what these Celtics are made of

All season lengthy, these Celtics have toyed with our feelings.

Sooner or later, they’re unbeatable juggernauts and the clear championship favorites. The subsequent, they make the Magic appear like the Monstars.

Navigating a championship-or-bust season isn’t essentially straightforward, however they’ve made it much more troublesome than it must be with their maddening inconsistency. All alongside, we’ve informed ourselves, “they’ll flip it on when it issues most.” A part of that could be a coping mechanism and a part of it’s justified.

They will flip it on once they should, however will they? Nicely, we’re about to (lastly) discover out.

After one of the vital embarrassing and head-scratching losses of the Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown period – now down 3-2 to the 76ers and one loss away from a probably fascinating, untimely offseason – the Celtics get the prospect to indicate everybody what they’ve deep inside.

“It occurred. It’s unlucky, proper?” Tatum stated. “We want we may change it, however that’s not how life works. We simply should prepare for Thursday.”

There’s no extra ready for the best second. No extra hoping their irritating tendencies will magically disappear. No extra anticipating another person to guide the cost. Every participant has to take it upon himself to make sure that a woeful efficiency like Tuesday’s by no means occurs once more.

“It’s a real dogfight,” Marcus Good stated. “Scratching, clawing, biting, blood, every part. In the event you’re not keen to just about get soiled, for those who’re not keen to bleed, for those who’re not keen to interrupt one thing, for those who’re not keen to tear one thing, going laborious, then you definitely shouldn’t be on that court docket.”

I feel we are able to all agree that the Sixers have earned a collective hat tip to date this collection. They’re taking part in the sport on their phrases and dictating the tempo. They’ve had the perfect participant and haven’t let the Celtics’ depth put on them down as a lot because it in all probability ought to.

Philly deserves to be up 3-2 proper now, and if it wins this collection, I like its probabilities to go all the best way.

Now having stated that, the trouble the Celtics have put forth has been uninspiring at finest and franchise-altering at worst. Recreation 1 was a actuality test. Recreation 2 was successful. Recreation 3 was spectacular. Recreation 4 was too little, too late. Recreation 5 was straight up brutal.

I went into Recreation 5 anticipating the Celtics to play their finest when it mattered most and outlast the 76ers in a back-and-forth battle. Yeah, that didn’t fairly occur.

“I feel we simply didn’t have it right now,” Tatum stated. “All through the playoffs, we’ve performed very well, regardless that we’ve misplaced a number of video games. At this time was simply sort of like a troublesome day for us.”

Nice groups have off days each occasionally, however championship groups haven’t got off days once they must be at their finest.

So, what’s subsequent? Nicely, we lastly get to see what sort of battle this group really has. We all know Good will likely be prepared. Will Tatum make a shot within the first quarter? Will Brown maintain it going the entire sport? Will Robert Williams search for his offense? Will Derrick White be extra aggressive? Will Malcolm Brogdon get in James Harden’s face? Will Al Horford make a nook 3? Will anybody cease that darn MVP?

If the Celtics don’t come out completely flying – and set the tone early just like the Sixers did in Recreation 5 – they don’t should win all of it. In the event that they do, and so they survive in Recreation 6 and take Recreation 7 — it will profit them immensely in the long term.

Bear in mind, towards the then-defending champion Bucks final yr, the Celtics overcame a 3-2 deficit within the Jap Convention semifinals and received the collection in seven video games. It may be accomplished.

Does this group have that very same psychological fortitude and willpower? We’re about to seek out out.

“Final yr’s over with,” Brown stated. “This yr, now we have to come back out and be higher than we had been tonight, or we’ll have a unique ending.”