It goes without saying that Friday night is a huge game for the Celtics. They have a chance to advance to the NBA Finals. They're at home. And they're facing a banged-up Heat team that appeared to run out of gas in the second half of Game 5.
It's also a big game for the legacies of the Celtics players who have gotten to this point -- the Eastern Conference Finals -- multiple times before, but never further.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the stars, so the spotlight is understandably on them. But Al Horford, Marcus Smart and Robert Williams are all looking to finally break through as well.
But as the Celtics prepare for Game 6, all of that is not what the Celtics are focusing on. Coach Ime Udoka said Thursday morning that while he knows his players are motivated by coming up short in the past, that remains mostly unsaid. What they actually talk about is the here and now, and what they need to do to beat the Heat one more time.
"The experience definitely helps out," Udoka said Thursday morning. "The motivation of not making it, of falling short a few times, it's nothing that's really talked about, but you can feel that inner drive to take the next step. For these young guys to be in that position before, there's a calm about them going through this situation. So, nothing's said about getting to the Finals or anything like that. It's really the task at hand, and being that they've been here before, they're ready for the moment, and it's not too big for this young group of guys.
"I think overall, myself having the experience of making it to two Finals, playing in the Western Conference Finals myself, none of us are really fazed by this. It's just more about business as usual. Every series is different, all the opponents are different, and we really approach it that way. It's not looking at the big picture of the Finals. It's really the task at hand. I think our guys going through it before, but also wanting to take that next step in their careers and their progression is all playing a part."
Tatum also took a more business-like, in-the-moment approach after Wednesday's Game 5 win, pointing out that the Celtics only have to look back to their last series to see that going home with a 3-2 lead doesn't mean the series is over. The Celtics faced elimination in Game 6 in Milwaukee, but won that game and then closed out the Bucks in Game 7 at home.
"Don't look past them," Tatum said when asked about the team's mindset. "Don't believe you guys saying on TV saying that we're going to the championship, because this is far from over. We talked about it -- we just went into Milwaukee and won a very big Game 6. So, know that it's possible.
"We came in with the mindset tonight that it was a must-win game, and we need to carry that over. Go into Friday like we're down 3-2. This is a great team, well-coached. They're not gonna give up. It's not gonna be easy. I'm looking forward to it. It's gonna be a challenge, but it's gonna be fun."
