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DALLAS, Texas (WHDH) – Currently holding a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals, the Celtics are on the cusp of their 18th championship.
But with eyes turning toward legacies and with authorities in Boston already distributing stacks of barricades in anticipation of possible celebratory crowds after Friday’s Game 4 in Dallas, players said they are staying focused on fundamentals.
“You feel like the closeout game is the hardest game to win, so you really just want to go out there and do your best,” said Celtics guard Jrue Holiday.
“We’re the most vulnerable in this,” said Boston coach Joe Mazzulla. “…We have to [retain] that sense of urgency. We have to have an understanding of our environment and we have to know that we’re just as vulnerable as anybody else is in this situation.”
How the Celtics handle their vulnerability, Mazzulla said, will determine their fate.
Boston won games 1 and 2 at home to take a 2-0 series lead on the road. Shortly before Game 3, though, team officials confirmed star Kristaps Porzingis would not play due to a rare leg injury.
“He’s fighting like hell to play,” Mazzulla said. “But it’s going to be up to us to protect him and to make sure that it’s in the best interest for him as a player and a person.”
The 7’2” Porzingis averaged 20.1 points for Boston in the regular season. In his absence, fellow Boston stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown stepped up, combining for 61 points in an eventual 106-99 Game 3 win over the Mavericks.
Two years after they lost in the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors, the Celtics are now eager to secure their latest championship, whether Porzingis plays or not.
“We’re not satisfied,” said Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. “Even now, up 3-0, nobody is celebrating or anything. We still feel like there’s a lot more that we can do. There’s a lot more that we want to do.”
Asked if he is visualizing the moments of celebration after a potential championship win, Boston center Al Horford said he is not.
“For me, it’s task at hand,” Horford said. “I understand the process. I understand that nothing is given.”
Tipoff in Game 4 is set for 8:30 p.m. in Dallas.
A win would lock up the Celtics’ first NBA title since 2008. A Game 4 victory would also mark just the 10th sweep in NBA Finals history and the second ever in Celtics franchise history, following Boston’s 1959 finals victory over the Minneapolis Lakers.
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