Celtics' experience and do-or-die mentality carry them to Game 3 victory

Philadelphia -- The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers squared off in a slugfest on Friday night in the "City of Brotherly Love." As these two rivals traded haymakers, it had the feel of a Game 7. Reaching that fever pitch required approaching Game 3 that way long before it tipped off.

"This was like a Game 7 for us," said Jaylen Brown after the Celtics' 108-100 victory to take a 2-1 series lead. "Even though it's a long series, we definitely wanted to come back and respond after dropping one on our home floor. Can't lose two games in a row in the playoffs, it's tough. So, this was a big win for us."

Boston is 5-2 in Game 7s since Jayson Tatum's first playoff participation in 2017. Their experience creates familiarity with postseason pressure. Their success under that duress breeds confidence. That intangible was both evident and a separating factor in Friday's victory.

It manifested itself through winning plays, like Jayson Tatum burying a pair of 3s in the final two minutes, the first one occurring with the visitors clinging to a one-point advantage.

There was also Payton Pritchard rattling in a three at the end of the shot clock, with the Celtics ahead 100-98 and under 1:20 remaining. And it shone when Derrick White shook off a 3/12 shooting night that included a missed layup in the final frame and struggles guarding Tyrese Maxey, swooping in for two offensive rebounds that led to crunch-time buckets. His second one set up Tatum's 3 to give his team a 106-100 edge with 27 seconds left. It effectively served as the knockout blow in this prized fight.

In the final two minutes, Boston outscored Philadelphia 11-4. Their poise produced execution.

"We've been in this scenario time and time again," said Jayson Tatum when asked about their experience manifesting itself in the form of composure. "Times we've fallen short, and times we've succeeded. It's all about just learning from past experiences."

"Our experience definitely helps, I would say," voiced Brown after he and Tatum scored or assisted on 27 of the Celtics' final 29 points in the fourth quarter. "Being able to be poised, get to our spacing, and then make plays from there. I thought that we did a good job of that in the final couple of minutes."

Their poise also came through during difference-making moments before crunch-time: Jordan Walsh helped to slow down Maxey after he ripped off 10 points, fueling a 12-0 run by the hosts. Nikola Vucevic, eager for another crack at the playoffs in the later stages of his career, stepped up as Neemias Queta struggled and dealt with foul trouble. There were also contributions like Baylor Scheierman entering the game in the first half and quickly burying a no-dip three from the corner. Shortly after that, he crashed the offensive glass, leading to one of Derrick White's makes from beyond the arc.

"Everybody that played tonight made a big-time play," stated Joe Mazzulla after his team regained home-court advantage in this first-round rivalry clash.

Celtics' poise doesn't wait until crunch time to kick in

An individual and a team cannot be selective about when they want to build winning habits. They can't expect to always count on them if they're selective about when they try to harness those practices. So, when the victors of Friday's tilt told the media they viewed this matchup as a Game 7, their preparation had to meet that outlook.

"How you handle a bad game, how you handle winning. I would say the experience shows up in the poise on a day-to-day basis," said Joe Mazzulla while discussing the intangibles that propelled Boston to a 2-1 series lead.

Those who have gone through playoff battles in this arena had to help prepare those who hadn't for the environment they were stepping into. They had to aid them in their ability to meet the demands of a pressure-packed game with higher stakes than some of them had experienced. However, at the end of the day, there's only so much they can do. When the ball tipped off at Xfinity Mobile Arena, their younger teammates were either going to sink or swim.

"Something you definitely talk about, but something you've gotta experience, for sure," said Brown, who moved into seventh on the Celtics' all-time scoring list in playoff history, about the preparation that went into approaching this like a Game 7. "And I think our team is still a young team, so this experience was great. It's great to get these experiences and win, but when you get hit, you've just gotta respond," he continued. "Most importantly, stay together through the adversity, but when you get hit, you've gotta hit back."

Boston's ability to do so led to the visitors landing the last punch, sending the Sixers to the canvas and the Celtics halfway to the second round of the playoffs.

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