The NBA Finals have provided a rare glimpse into Celtics practices. The media is normally not allowed to watch anything more than a couple of minutes of post-practice shooting, but the NBA has allowed media to get a look at 30 minutes of practice.
They're still not showing us much, but we’re seeing more than normal. Like today, when the Celtics portable speaker was blasting some old school favorites like Earth, Wind, and Fire and Michael Jackson. Ime Udoka made his way over to the DJ of the day and suddenly Cameo’s “Candy” came on, which triggered some laughs between the coach and Marcus Smart, and a little bit of dancing as well.
Looks like Ime selected Candy by Cameo... Which has Marcus Smart dancing. Guys are loose, I'll give them that pic.twitter.com/m6OUC9Blg2
— John Karalis 🇬🇷 🇺🇦 (@John_Karalis) June 15, 2022
“Today in practice was just almost like a normal practice day for us,” Al Horford said. “So that's usually kind of how our practices go. I don't know with that much dancing, but that's kind of the way.”
The Celtics definitely looked loose as they got ready for Game 6, which belied the gravity of their situation. They are 48 minutes away from losing the NBA Finals and watching the Warriors celebrate on their floor. There is no greater sports indignity than watching a trophy get hoisted by the other team dancing on your logo.
However, the Celtics are also 48 minutes from forcing a Game 7, and turning those tables to celebrate an 18th title under the golden glow of the Chase Center.
“We're not by any means defeated or feeling like we can't win games,” Udoka told Boston Sports Journal. “(We’re) guarding well enough to win, you just have to be more sharp on the offensive end. Bottom line is if anyone said you had two games to win a championship at the beginning of the season, we would have all signed up for that.”
The Celtics seem to understand they are heading into the TD Garden locker room only once more this season, and instead of getting wrapped up in the negative following a tough loss, they're focusing on what’s ahead.
“It's a blessed day, man. We get to wake up and have another opportunity to come out here and do what we love to do,” Smart said. “Not many people have that opportunity, so it's just another day for us. We're here in practice. We're enjoying each other's company, lifting each other up and making sure everybody is good to go.”
The gravity of the situation is not lost on the Celtics. They are aware of the opportunity in front of them. The sting of Game 5 has subsided, and now they are faced with a simple choice: give in to the pressure, or embrace the challenge and face it head on.
We got to embrace it. Ain't no other way around it,” Jaylen Brown said. “Last game on our home floor to kind of embody our whole season. We're looking to give it everything we got. We are not scared. We do not fear the Golden State Warriors. We want to come out and play the best version of basketball that we can.”
That's all that can be done at this point. The past can’t be changed, it can only provide guidance for the future. The Celtics have struggled applying the lessons learned over the course of the series, but there is still time to tighten up. For some, that means a steely focus, for others, it means getting back to having some fun on the floor.
“I feel there is a sense of urgency from our group, but I think there's that balance,” Horford said. “Different guys will prepare for the game in different ways. Marcus, that's just the way that he is. I do know that when 9:00 comes tomorrow, he will be ready to go, and so will everybody else.”
If Boston is going to win a championship, they're going to have to play 106 games to make it happen. Mixed into the previous 100 or so prior to the series are the successes and failures that shape a team. Boston’s road to this point has been full of potholes and hairpin turns which, at this point, have made them pretty good drivers.
“We've been through some struggles throughout the season,” Udoka told BSJ. “I think it gives us a 'don't give a shit' attitude and just go out there and do it.”
More than anything strategic, more than any potential lineup tweak, is that attitude that will carry them through the rough stretches within the game. If they can truly adopt that attitude, they have a good chance of getting back onto a plane for one more business trip.
“I'm looking forward to Game 6 on our home floor in front of our home fans,” Brown said. “Should be a lot of fun. That's something that we got to remind ourselves sometimes. It's so much pressure. There's a lot of joy in this game as well.
“I'm looking forward to having fun.”