"The loss is the loss," stated Al Horford that night. "More importantly, it's Jayson I'm worried about."
"I love him," expressed Derrick White. "That's our brother, and you hate to see him go down."
But the NBA's reigning champions are a prideful and accomplished group. Jaylen Brown and Al Horford acted swiftly, with their team facing a 3-1 series deficit, and pushed to the brink of elimination. They had no choice with Game 5 in Boston 48 hours after what unfolded on Monday at Madison Square Garden.
"Understanding the situation and understanding that we have a game to play, and to go out and represent ourselves well and play hard," shared Luke Kornet after starring in Wednesday's win, per Bobby Manning of CLNS Media. "I feel like those two led the way in that.
Backing up his words, Brown delivered a legacy-enhancing performance. He produced 26 points, a career-high 12 assists, airtight defense against Jalen Brunson, and only two turnovers.
After the Celtics' season-saving 127-102 victory, Brown shared the message he wanted to get across when addressing his teammates.
"Just come out and play," conveyed Brown. "Obviously, the air kind of left the room after hearing the news with JT [Jayson Tatum]. "So, we didn't want to go out like that; we didn't want to make no excuses. We didn't want to come out and give up or just turn the season in.
"So, we just said to the guys, said to each other, 'Let's come out [and] keep an open mind. Just come out and play basketball. Be ready to go, and guard your [expletive] off, and take it from there. And we were able to find a way to win tonight."
Fighting for their season, Jaylen Brown relays the Celtics' rallying cry
Entering Wednesday's matchup, the purchase price dipped, as illustrated by Kyle Zorn of TickPick. It appeared many Celtics fans who had a ticket to Game 5 made the business decision to sell it. That opened the door for a contingency of Knicks fans to arrive at TD Garden in even greater numbers than the first two tilts in this series.
While the visitors' cheering section made their presence felt, the home crowd created an electric atmosphere. They reached a euphoric state during Boston's 16-3 third-quarter run.
That run, capped by a Sam Hauser three, propelled the hosts to an 84-70 advantage with 5:11 left in the third quarter.
"I appreciate the fans that showed up tonight," said Brown. "It was a great atmosphere. It was loud."
And just as he addressed his team entering Game 5, Brown delivered a message to the Celtics' fan base afterward.
"I know it's easy to write things off. Obviously, [it's] unfortunate what happened to JT, but we've still got basketball to be played. I believe in this group. So, don't count us out just yet."
Whereas a counterpunch came next for New York in the previous two contests in this building, Boston held firm. The lead eventually ballooned to 28, as the hosts forced a Game 6 at Madison Square Garden.
Afterward, Brown made his team's rallying cry clear as the Celtics try to dig out of a 3-2 deficit without Tatum.
"Defense. That's all I'm talking about is defense. Nothing easy. Guard your yard. Find a way to get stops. Dig deep."
The Celtics held the Knicks to 100 points in regulation of the series opener. They limited them to 91 in Game 2. They followed it up with another stifling performance, keeping New York to 93. The latter finally broke through with a Game 4 victory where they put 121 points on the board.
But on Wednesday, Boston contained Brunson and Co. The visitors finished with 102 points and shot 35.8 percent from the field. They had only four second-chance points in the second half as the hosts paired impactful first-shot defense with improved rebounding. The Celtics also limited the giveaways to two after intermission and nine total. They didn't yield any points off turnovers.
Those ingredients were essential even with Tatum in the lineup. From the defense Brown said Boston will hang its hat on, to whether the Celtics consistently play with pace, as he prefers, and if they'll win again on the margins, will determine what Garden hosts the final game of this series.
