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Celtics 'played with the right mentality' in Game 3 win following recent collapses, locker room outbursts


Celtics
Heat
BUENA
the Boston Celtics
the Miami Heat
Tatum, Brown
necessary."It
Hayward
series."I


Kemba Walker
Jaylen Brown
Brad Stevens
Marcus Smart
Jayson Tatum
Gordon Hayward
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Indy
plan."Robyn

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Hayward

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Fla.
Boston
Miami
Philadelphia
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Game 3
the Eastern Conference finals
Games 1
Game 2

Positivity     46.00%   
   Negativity   54.00%
The New York Times
SOURCE: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/29925201/celtics-played-right-mentality-game-3-win-following-recent-collapses-locker-room-outbursts
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Summary

-- For the past two days, the basketball world waited to see how the Boston Celtics would respond to both collapsing down the stretch for a second straight game to open the Eastern Conference finals and the emotional outbursts in the locker room that followed.But after the Celtics got themselves back into their series against the Miami Heat with a 117-106 victory on Saturday in Game 3, Boston said its response is proof that there is more than enough resolve within this team for it to turn this series around and win it."There are some great guys in that locker room," Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said after leading Boston with 26 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 blocked shot in 42 minutes. Doing so produced a ridiculous 60-36 margin in points in the paint in Boston's favor, allowing the Celtics to dictate the tempo of the game and keep the Heat on their heels."Our whole team was aggressive," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. Despite the time he missed, Hayward's presence paid immediate dividends for the Celtics, even if his numbers didn't pop off the stat sheet.Of far more importance than those raw statistics -- six points on 2-for-7 shooting to go with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 block and 1 turnover -- was the fact that Hayward was able to play 31 minutes and provide the stabilizing presence that he brought to the Celtics all season.That allowed Stevens and the Celtics to go back to the formula they wanted to employ throughout the playoffs: playing each of their five main perimeter players -- Hayward, Tatum, Brown, Smart and Kemba Walker -- more than 30 minutes each game and filling in around them as necessary."It meant everything," Tatum said of Hayward's return.

As said here by Tim Bontemps