NEW YORK — When Jrue Holiday won his first NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, it wasn’t a seamless journey.
The Bucks trailed the Brooklyn Nets in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals 0-2, and then again to the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals.
Both times, they responded.
In turn, Holiday secured a title.
Four years later, Holiday exudes undeniable confidence when discussing whether the Celtics can similarly come back from a 0-2 hole that has resulted from two consecutive fourth-quarter collapses against the New York Knicks.
But, his assurance doesn’t stem from the fact that he’s done it before.
It stems from the reality that the Celtics’ confidence never wavered in the first place.
“I think that everybody on this team felt the same way about the first two games,” he said. “So I don’t think that was needed to be said. I think we all had the same type of energy. We all knew what was at stake, going down 0-2.”
I asked Jrue Holiday about whether he discussed with his Celtics teammates how his Bucks team successfully came back from 0-2 in 2021:
“You know, I think everybody on this team felt the same type of way about the first two games. So I don’t think that was needed to be said.” pic.twitter.com/MepdAMCDss
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) May 12, 2025
Jrue Holiday and his Celtics teammates have responded to adversity before
In 2021, Holiday and the Bucks won four of the final five games against the Nets, including a Game 7 overtime thriller. Against the Suns, the Bucks lost the first two games by double-digits, before rattling off four straight wins to bring Milwaukee its first championship in 50 years.
The Celtics’ core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and Derrick White successfully rallied back from 3-2 series deficits in 2022 (against Holiday’s Bucks) and 2023 (against the Philadelphia 76ers).
And, in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, they forced a Game 7 after trailing 3-0 hole to the Heat (though they lost that game after Jayson Tatum infamously sprained his ankle in the game’s opening minutes).
“We’ve been through it,” Holiday said. “I don’t think we necessarily have to talk about it. I think everybody’s on the same type of time, and the same type of energy.”
Jaylen Brown echoed that same confident demeanor after Game 3 — while the outside world might be panicked at the Celtics’ circumstances, inside the locker room, there is a sense of calmness.
“You gotta beat us four times,” Brown said. “That’s what it comes down to — not twice, not once, not three times. Four games. So it’s a lot of basketball to be played.”
Jaylen Brown:
“You gotta beat us four times. That’s what it comes down to — not twice, not once, not three times. Four games. So it’s a lot of basketball to be played.”
(Q: @John_Karalis) pic.twitter.com/f7Rod4aTXz
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) May 10, 2025
Part of the Celtics’ confidence also likely stems from the fact that they have led by 20 or more points in six of the seven times the two teams have faced off this season (three regular-season games and three playoff games).
The difference in Game 3 was that — unlike the first two games — they didn’t let up after building a commanding lead.
“When we got the lead, we sustained it,” Holiday said. “We sustained their punches, we tried to keep the energy low in here, and I think we did a good job of that when they tried to make their run.”
“The consistency throughout the whole game was different. We’ve been up every game, so being able to sustain that has been key for us, and it was key for us last game.”
And, part of the belief also comes from the understanding that the most legendary moments emerge when athletes’ backs are against the wall.
“You wouldn’t want to be in any other position as a competitor,” said Payton Pritchard after Game 3. “This is the best moment you can be in.”
