SEE EVERYONE IN BOSTON FOR GAME 7!!!!!!
Tim Nwachukwu. Getty Images.THE BOSTON CELTICS DIDN'T HEAR NO GODDAMN BELL!!!!!!!
Holy shit. Holy holy shit. They did it. The really fucking did it.
After dropping Game 5, the narrative around the Celtics was they were cooked. The Sixers going back home, playing great, have the MVP, all they needed to do was win at home and that would be that. Celtics fans were holding onto the last bit of hope we had that based on what we saw last year in Milwaukee, they'd be able to do it again.
Well folks, they did it again.
For the moment, the Boston Celtics season is still alive. With everything on the line, they showed up in a BIG FUCKING WAY. Marcus Smart, holy hell. He put this team on his back and refused to let them lose by playing the game of his life. Joe's decision to insert Rob into the starting lineup worked to perfection. Brogdon made huge threes, Derrick had huge threes, whatever it took, this team found a way.
Add in the fact that Jayson Tatum started this game 1-14 (0-6), it looked like we were headed for another Finals situation. When the Celts needed Tatum the most, he couldn't stop fucking up. Missed shots, missed layups, turnovers, it was the worst we have ever seen him play in his career. But those last 5 minutes? It saved the Celtics season. Without Tatum somehow finding his three point shot in the final 4 minutes of this game, the Celtics season is over. We waited as long as we could until he finally unleashed hell, but in the big moment, on the road, against the MVP, Jayson Tatum stepped up and delivered. In a time where your franchise guy needs to carry you over the finish line, that's exactly what Tatum did.
I'm honestly still in shock as I write this so I'm not sure what I've already covered, but all I'll say is that after spending two days wondering what version of the Celtics was going to show up for Game 6, it turned out we got the best one. The defense this team played was championship level. For the second time this series, the Celts held the Sixers to under 90 points. That's how you fucking win on the road. That's how we know the Celts are fully engaged. They weren't perfect offensively, but they were good enough. The "others" performed at a level on the road that shouldn't be possible, even if they didn't always make the right play.
The version of the Celtics we saw tonight is why we believe. They aren't soft. They're just addicted to doing shit the hard way. As long as they get the W, who gives a shit.
Tonight was about survival. It was about getting this series back to Boston for a Game 7 and worrying about the rest later.
The Celtics needed to respond with their season on the line. And that is exactly what they did.
We'll talk more in the morning. For now we celebrate
WELCOME TO GAME 7
