Getty Danilo Gallinari, Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics have made life harder for themselves following their April 25 collapse in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks.
Now, the Celtics will head back to Atlanta in preparation for game six as they search for their fourth win of the series – a win that will see them progress deeper into the postseason.
Shortly after the Celtics fell to Trae Young‘s dagger three, veteran sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari sent a message via his Twitter account, reminding everyone that the Celtics only need one more win to close out their opening series.
We knew it was going to be a tough series, but we are not losing confidence and focus for that win that takes us to Philadelphia.
Let’s go boys 💪🏻🔥☘️
“We knew it was going to be a tough series, but we are not losing confidence and focus for that win that takes us to Philadelphia. Let’s go boys,” Gallinari Tweeted.
Gallinari joined the Celtics this past summer, but due to an ACL injury sustained while playing for Italy at the EuroBasket tournament, he has yet to feature for the Celtics and will likely remain on the sidelines until next season. Gallinari has a $6.8 million player option for next season, which he’s likely going to pick up so that he can play for the team he chose to sign with last summer.
Jaylen Brown Urges Celtics to Improve
When addressing the media following the game, Jaylen Brown discussed the Celtics’ need to improve, noting that the responsibility was on both the coaches and players alike.
“We pride ourselves on being basketball players and being able to, you know, make the right play and adjustments,” Brown said. “At times, we leave that up to the coaches to make that decision. For sure, we got to be better overall as a team, coaching staff and players, at getting organized in those moments, whether we call timeouts or not.”
Brown, 26, provided the Celtics with an offensive spark on April 25, leading the team’s scoring charts while putting together an impressive statline of 35 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists while shooting 65.2% from the field and 57.1% from three-point range.
Joe Mazzulla Takes ‘Some’ Responsibility
While a head coach can’t control his player’s energy levels, commitment, or whether their shots go in, they can control the rotations, play calls, and game management. During his post-game press conference, head coach Joe Mazzulla accepted some of the blame for Boston’s shocking loss, sharing how his playcalling could have affected the Celtics’ pace of play.
“I think it’s more we just lost our pace a little bit on the offensive end partly on, you know, me trying to make sure we run a good play,” Mazzulla said. “And, you know, we talked about playing faster down the stretch, and I thought we just lost some of our pace, which allowed them to pressure us and get into passing lanes.”
The Celtics will now be hoping to take care of business on Thursday, April 26. Otherwise, they risk the series going to seven games, where both teams will be in a win-or-go-home situation at the TD Garden, which isn’t somewhere Boston fans expected their team to be until much later in the postseason.