The Boston Celtics need their road success to translate to the playoffs as they head to Milwaukee
The Boston Celtics did everything they needed to in order to defend their home court, and reinstalled a new level of confidence that they can go on a run despite these injuries. That being said, the Celtics have too much work to do to lose focus, and they still have their biggest test of the season going on the road into Milwaukee with a chance to close out the series.
Good news is that the Celtics have embraced the road more than any other team this season, and have seen more than enough success to be confident that they will not lose any edge they had at home.
The Celtics did not have the best road record in the league, but relative to how many total wins they had, they stepped up on the road more than anyone else. Both the Rockets and Warriors won more games on the road, but the Celtics were the only ones to finish with more wins on the road than at home.
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It was only one more win, but the Celtics are clearly not afraid to play on the road, and they have more than enough confidence to completely shut down any momentum the crowd might create for the Bucks in game three.
The Celtics cannot expect it to be as easy as the last game, because they really played an exceptional game on all levels, and things usually do not go that well on a regular basis on the playoffs.
That being said, there is no reason to believe the Celtics are much worse off because they have to win on the road, and they need to be able to take one of these games. The Celtics have an opportunity to end this series relatively quickly, and if they can take one game in Milwaukee, they will be able to close it out at home in game five.
The Celtics did enough to prove they could win on the road in the regular season, but the playoffs are a different story. Milwaukee is far from the most daunting home court advantage, but things are never going to get easier for the Celtics.
The best part is that Brad Stevens will make sure there is never any panic in any way. The Celtics know they need to be able to get one of these games, and then they can start convincing people that they can be one of the most dangerous road teams in the playoffs.
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If they make it that far, the Celtics will have to go on the road against the top competition in the league, and now is the time to get that playoff experience winning on the road. The Celtics will take it one step at a time and they are not at a point where they have to fear anything.