The Boston Celtics were inspired to victory by a team meeting led by Jaylen Brown and Al Horford before facing elimination in Game 5.
Jayson Tatum also sent a message from encouragement as he begins his recovery process from a ruptured right Achilles tendon.
Brown then backed up his own words with his best game of the playoffs, finishing with 26 points, eight rebounds, 12 assists, and a steal. The Celtics as a whole were magnificent in outscoring the New York Knicks 68-43 in the second half.
“They had a team meeting on Tuesday,” ESPN insider Brian Windhorst said on Sportscenter. “Before they went over the gameplan for Game 5, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford spoke to the team. They talked about how they needed to react. They talked about the importance to send a message to Jayson. And then on Wednesday, the team got a message from Tatum after he was recovering from his Achilles surgery encouraging them. Telling them that he would be bouncing back and that he was hoping they would play great without him tonight.
“You definitely saw the Celtics play emotionally at times. It didn’t have the smoothest start to the game. But in talking to their players afterwards, they do think they were able to bounce back quickly after getting that message from Tatum and also hearing from their veteran teammates.”
Game 6 is Friday at 8:00 p.m. EST at Madison Square Garden. New York now leads the series 3-2.
Porzingis Continues To Struggle With Illness
Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis’ health remains a major concern heading into Game 6. He has been battling a respiratory illness for three months now and has been unable to help his teammates in the way he’s normally capable of.
Porzingis started and played just 12 minutes, finishing with one point, one rebound, and one block. Porzingis didn’t play a single minute in the second half.
“I mean (Porzingis) couldn’t breathe,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He was available if absolutely necessary. And so that (going to the bench) was just a decision between me and him.”
Luke Kornet filled in admirably in his absence, collecting 10 points, nine rebounds, and seven(!) blocks in 26 minutes. He was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field.
Role players historically perform better at home so it will be interesting to see if Kornet can repeat the trick on the road.
