The Boston Celtics found themselves down 2-0 in their second-round series against the New York Knicks, but a big bounce-back in Game 3 got them back into it. On Sunday afternoon, Al Horford said that the team's best players have led the charge in the face of adversity. "I feel like, in those moments, our guys, Jayson [Tatum] and Jaylen [Brown], have shown time and time again that they step up," Horford said. "Whatever it takes, we're somehow able to figure it out and get it done."
Boston's three-point shooting returned to normal in Game 3 (if 50.0% from three on 40 attempts can be considered normal) after shooting just 25.0% from beyond the arc in the first two games.
But on top of that, Tatum and Brown made sure to bring their A-games, too. Neither was uber-efficient, but the impact they had on Game 3 went far beyond the efficiency numbers.
How did Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown impact Game 3?
Brown did a great job of giving the Celtics different looks on the offensive end. Though he shot just 7-of-18 from the field and 2-of-6 from deep, but ability to switch-up the Celtics' offensive flow at the drop of the hat gave them some great options.
He constantly pushes the ball in transition, attacks mismatches in the post like a heat-seeking missile looking for its target, and still takes the wide-open threes when they come his way.
As for Tatum, he snapped out of the shooting slump that plagued him through the first two games of the series. He churned out a 5-of-9 shooting night from deep, and while he shot just 8-of-20 from the floor (the layups still weren't falling), it was still a significant change in energy from the Celtics superstar.
Tatum had the game on a string all night long, finishing with seven assists while maintaining his elite rebounding numbers.
Poise won the Celtics Game 3
In Game 3, the Celtics found themselves in a similar position: A massive lead late in the game. New York had came all the way back from 20-point deficits in each of the first two games, but Boston handled itself differently in Game 3.
"I think that we had much better poise this game," said Horford. "Poise was key for us. I feel like we really executed when we needed to. Defensively, we were solid. And we were able to control those parts of the game."