Joe Mazzulla urged the Celtics to “tap into darkness” after a dominant Game 3 win over the Knicks. Boston’s bounce-back performance reignited their playoff hopes, with Game 4 looming as a chance to even the series at 2-2.
Following back-to-back gut-punch losses to the New York Knicks, the Celtics bounced back with a statement win in Game 3, cruising to a 115-93 victory. After the game, Mazzulla grinned as he addressed the adversity his team is facing, now trailing 2-1 in the series.
“I’ve said it a thousand times, there’s no one way that it’s supposed to go,” Mazzulla said. “There’s no expectations. We’re on a path of trying to go after greatness. You don’t get to dictate the test that’s in front of you.
This is the fun part. You don’t get into the journey for it to be easy. It’s been dark, but in a good way. You just gotta tap into your darkness. That’s it. You just gotta do it.”
While no NBA team has ever erased a 3-0 deficit, 34 teams have rallied back from 2-0 in a best-of-seven series. If the Celtics can keep up their red-hot shooting — they went 20-for-40 from deep in Game 3 — they’ll have a real shot to join that list.
Game 4 is set for Monday night at Madison Square Garden, with Boston aiming to even the series before it shifts back to TD Garden.
