Horford instructed the Celtics to focus more intently.
A decisive Game 7 victory dispelled certain myths regarding the Celtics.
The atmosphere at Tuesday’s Celtics practice, according to Malcolm Brogdon, was laid back and easygoing
After Jayson Tatum scored an NBA Game 7 record 51 points at TD Garden on Sunday, Boston advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals against Miami, and the Celtics are feeling good.
However, they most likely could have focused a little more. According to Brogdon, that’s where seasoned forward Al Horford entered the picture.
Al pulled us together in the middle of practice and simply instructed us to tighten it up because the players were a little loose and the practice was going lightly, according to Brogdon. “We’re going to start the series poised and really locked in, and I think it’s going to be our leader’s constant reminders.”
This Celtics team has struggled to focus early in postseason games. Horford made this admission during the Celtics’ Game 1 loss to Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference semifinal series, which eventually went to seven games. In the first round, they allowed the Hawks to stay and played six games against them.
In the latter stages of both series, Boston shown the capacity to persevere and finish games. They’ll have to do it once more, this time against the troublesome Heat, who have already eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks, who are ranked #1.
For the Celtics, it has been a delicate dance to stay focused at the right level. After putting on a brilliant performance in Game 7, Tatum stated that he thought he was tense during the previous series because he was sometimes too concentrated.