June 13, 2024 • 24 mins
Sound off with us on the Celtics proving their naysayers wrong YET AGAIN during Game 3, as they came through in the clutch for another win behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scoring at least 30 points. We touch on their performances, Xavier Tillman filling in for Kristaps Porzingis, what the Celtics have done to arguably the most talented backcourt in NBA history, and how far an 18th championship would go beyond just the Celtics’ locker room.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Boston Celtics just took a three nothing series lead
in the NBA Finals, and we just launched a brand
new dedicated feed for this podcast, sound Off with the
Boston Celtics. So if you are getting this episode from
the View from the Rafters feed, please go search on
your podcast platform for sound Off with the Boston Celtics,
(00:20):
click subscribe, and we'll make sure that you get every
single episode of sound Off, not only for the remainder
of these NBA Finals, but also for every game into
the future in future seasons. All right, with that, here's
the latest episode from Dallas of sound Off with the
Boston Celtics.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Mound off on the Boston Celtics doing it yet again.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
And when I say doing it, I mean winning an
NBA Finals game, I mean coming to you in the clutch,
I mean proving all of the naysayers wrong. I mean
being on the doorstep of an NBA championship.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
The Celtics came back.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
From trailing early in this game, then they pulled ahead
by as many as twenty one points in the fourth quarter,
and then they had to fend off a pesky Mavericks
team over the final three and a half minutes and
that is what I have to concentrate on. We all
have to concentrate on the Boston Celtics answering every question
in the book about them in the clutch to pull
(01:31):
off this Game three victory. Listen, Dallas did not go
away quietly. Luka Doncic fouled out during the final minutes
of this game, Kyrie Irving and the rest of the
team continued to play and plug away, and they got
this down to a one point game with about three
and a half minutes left. Think about this, The Celtics
had led by twenty one points early in the fourth
(01:53):
quarter about ten minutes left. That lead was all the
way down to one with three and a half minutes left.
Think about the pressure that was on Boston's shoulders. Most
of Celtics Nation was probably thinking about, Well, if we
lose this game, it's gonna be like Game four against
(02:17):
Golden State back in twenty twenty two, when the Celtics
could have taken a three to one series lead, and
if they did that, the series is completely different.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Well, if they lose this game.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
In that fashion, a two to one series with Dallas
coming back for a win in that fashion would make
this series feel much different than it does right now.
But we don't need to concentrate on that because the
Celtics figured it out. They figured it out when every
(02:51):
when push came to shove, when every challenge came to
their face, they faced it head on and they battled
through it. Jalen Brown twenty four points during the second half,
multiple clutch shots during the final minutes, defensive stops drew Holliday.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
I'm not gonna say it definitely was.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
A foul, but he drew an illegal screen foul that
was critical to closing off this win.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
The Celtics got forced just enough misses.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Jason Tatum drove to the basket for a huge dunk
to make it a six point game. With a couple
of minutes left. Jason Tatum and Derek White made four
straight free throws to ice the game during the final minute.
Everything the Celtics had to do, they did it in
order to win this game. And now here they are
with a three to zero series lead. And I don't
(03:43):
think I'm gonna be the first person or the last
person to remind you by the time Friday arrives that
no team in the history of NBA basketball has ever
come back to win a series after falling behind three
games to none. So the Celtics have put all of
the pressure on the Dallas Mavericks. The Dallas Mavericks are
(04:06):
one loss away from their season, their magical season of
finding themselves in the NBA Finals. They are one loss
away from all of that being over. And the Boston Celtics,
on the other side of the ball, are one win
away from evaporating and eviscerating every naysayer out there and
(04:28):
winning an eighteenth championship behind their cornerstone wings Jason Tatum
and Jalen Brown, who, by the way, each scored thirty
points thirty plus points in this Game three victory. Those
two guys brought it. They didn't necessarily shoot the ball
particularly well throughout the entire game, but they brought it
(04:50):
in every facet. They brought it on defense, they scored points,
they dished out assists, they grabbed rebounds, they defended at
a high level. They gave constant effort throughout this game.
Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum brought the goods in Game three,
and they are the main reason why the Boston Celtics
are now on the precipice of grabbing in eighteenth NBA Championship.
(05:14):
They were outstanding. Derek White also chipped in sixteen points.
Let's not forget about Sam Howser coming off the bench
and draining a few three pointers during the first half.
He was a plus sixteen in only fourteen plus minutes tonight.
In last, but not least, can we please talk about
Xavier Tillman. All the talk for the last few days
(05:38):
after finding out about this Christas Porzingis injury in his ankle,
was about the Celtics not having the depth to overcome
that in the NBA Finals if Porzingis cannot play well.
We found out about an hour and a half or so,
an hour before this game. It was an hour and
(05:58):
a half before this game that Porzingis was not able
to play.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
And what did everyone think?
Speaker 1 (06:04):
The Celtics aren't gonna be able to pull this off
without Christas Porzingis. He's the guy that unlocks the offense,
He's the guy who protects the rim. He's the guy
the Celtics acquired for these exact reasons, in these exact moments. Well,
guess what they figured it out. And one of the
key reasons why is one Xavier Tilman. Joe Mizzoula pushed
(06:28):
all the right buttons on this night. He called the
right timeouts, He pushed the team in the right direction
at both ends of the court throughout this game, no
matter what was going on, and the biggest decision that
he made was calling Xavier Tillman's number to replace Christas
Porzingis in that lineup. Tilman wound up playing eleven plus minutes.
(06:53):
He was a plus nine in those eleven minutes, grabbed
four rebounds, blocked a couple of shots, and made his
one and only shot of the night. That was a
three pointer late in the third quarter, as the Celtics
were rattling off a fourteen to five run to really
(07:15):
begin taking control of this game. Xavier Tilman was spotting
up in the corner the right corner of the court.
Jalen Brown drives to the basket and kicks out to him,
and Jalen said after the game, it was like a
divine moment when.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
He made that pass.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
He knew for a fact, without a doubt, that Xavier
Tilman was going to make that shot, and guess what
he did.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
He made that shot, and he's the one who pushed.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
The Celtics ahead by thirteen points with two fourteen left
in the third quarter, and at that very moment when
Xavier Tillman, who by the way, is a career twenty
seven percent shooter from long range, a guy who shot
only twenty nine percent from three point range in twenty
games with the Celtics this season, he is the one
(08:10):
who made the three pointer from the corner. He is
the guy who Jalen Brown trusted and who Jalen Brown
knew for a fact was going to make that shot.
And when that shot went in, I think everyone on
Dallas's bench, I think everyone on Boston's bench, and I
(08:31):
think every single person watching this game in person or
watching on television or listening on the radio knew it
was Boston's night. That might have been the biggest shot
of the game simply because of who made it. It's
one of those times when the opponent watches this ball
(08:53):
fall through the basket and they're just like, Xavier Tillman's
making threes tonight, all right, this just isn't our night.
And that's not to say anything down about Xavier Tillman,
but he's not known as a three point shooter. He
is not Christas porzingis he is not El Horford. Yet
he made the shot arguably the biggest and most momentous
(09:15):
building shot of this game, his only shot of the game.
He was excellent defensively and truly, truly, truly changed this
game for Boston because when he checked into the game,
they knew they had a reliable big who could switch,
(09:38):
who could defend, who could rebound, and who, if he
had to, could make a corner three. He did everything
Boston could have asked from him tonight, and I don't
think the Celtics win this game without him. And that
is what makes a team. That is what makes this
Boston Celtics team special. They've on this all year. There
(10:01):
has not been a stretch of this entire season, which
is now ninety nine games in. There has not been
a single stretch of this season when the Celtics have
not had answers, have not had players on the bench
stepping up when asked to do so. These guys from
top to bottom have contributed at every turn, at every opportunity,
(10:28):
and tonight, man, it was so fulfilling watching Xavier Tillman
get his opportunity to check in and make an impact
on the NBA Finals.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Remember this is a.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Guy that the Celtics quietly acquired at the trade deadline
this season. Not a lot of people spoke about it,
but this is why they got him. They needed someone
they could trust, someone who's reliable, someone who's consistent, someone
who's intelligent, someone who's willing to buy into their role.
In Xavier Tillman is every bit of all of those things.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
He was clutched.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Tonight and man, he is a critical reason as to
why the Celtics are now one win away from an
NBA title. Listen, I want to dive into some comments
from Celtics nation. Everyone is jacked up after this win
because everyone knows how close the team is to accomplishing
the ultimate goal. Here's the questions and the comments that
(11:28):
we've got coming in tonight. Justin Morris is first on
what Boston has done to the most talented backcourt in
the NBA history.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
The Warlock eighty six.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Comes in in comments on squashing cliches. Sean g then
comments on the Celtics finding ways to win, and then
Ricky Spanish closes us out on how much this potential
title can mean historically and to the city of Boston,
New England and the organization. So with that, let's dive
(11:59):
into our first comment from Justin Morris. All right, Justin
Morris opening us up. Here is his comment saying, Celtics
holding the best backcourt in history to under one hundred
points in three straight games must mean they're pretty special defensively. Huh, Jason,
I think I just realized I've been calling you justin
(12:20):
so far it's Jason Morris.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
I apologize for that. Jason. You are spot on.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
The defense has been unbelievable in this series. I said
going into the series that the one thing that the
Celtics could do to make sure that they would be
on the right side at the end of the series
is played defense with the level of intensity and effort
that they brought to the table for the final minutes
of Games three and four and Game one against Indiana
(12:47):
when they absolutely had to get stops. If they could
do that for entire games, if they could do that
for this entire series, they would be incredibly difficult to beat.
And what have they gone on to do? They have
done exactly that. Sure, Luka, Doncicchen, Kyrie Irving have had
(13:07):
some great games.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Tonight.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
They combined for seventy two points but guess what they
required fifty five shots to get there. The Celtics have
held a team that has been led by what many
people believe to be the most talented backcourt in the
(13:32):
history of the NBA. I will repeat that this back
court of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic is regarded almost
unanimously as the most talented backcourt in the history of
the NBA, and now Boston in three games of the
NBA Finals has prevented that team led by those guys,
(13:55):
led by that duo from cracking one hundred points a
single time. They have not cracked one hundred points yet
in this series. Sub triple digits every single game. That
is elite defense, that is championship level defense. The Celtics
(14:18):
are answering the call at that end of the court.
They have been unbelievable defensively, and I'm talking not just
with individual effort, but as a unit being on the
same page. The rotations have been tight, the effort has
been constant from the start of defensive possessions to the
end of defensive possessions.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
It's been awesome to watch.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Everyone who watched that two thousand and eight title you
gotta be having some reminiscing going on right now because
this defense has been playing at that level. We're talking
about an NBA era right now where teams are basically
scoring one hundred and ten to one hundred and twenty
points every single game. And the Boston Celtics have held
their opponent in the NBA Finals. Their opponent, mind you,
(15:02):
that is led by arguably the most talented back court
in the history of the league. They have held that
team to less than one hundred points every single game
so far. No other team in the league would have
done this. The Timberwolves didn't do this, No other team
(15:22):
would have done this. Just the Celtics. Incredible defensive performance
so far in this series. All right, Next up the
Warlock eighty six says relief. Every cliche got squashed. Quote
Tatum is a fraud End quote. Well thirty points on
(15:43):
the road with no KP. Next up in quotes, can't
win in the clutch end quote up by one, ninety
three to ninety two and one. Next quote, didn't beat
a healthy team?
Speaker 2 (15:58):
End quote. Just did anything else?
Speaker 1 (16:03):
All of these cliches, all of these questions that have
been surrounding the Celtics for weeks, for months for the
entire season.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Jalen Brown spoke about this after the game.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Everyone for the past six to eight months have been
talking about what the Celtics used to be. Everyone who
picked against the Celtics in this series did it because
of what the Celtics used to be. But every single
one of those people who chose and picked against the
Celtics don't understand what the Celtics are. They are not
(16:36):
what they used to be. They are a team that
is different. They are a team that is mentally strong.
They are a team that answers the call every time.
They are a team that overcomes adversity constantly, at every
single opportunity that they have to face it. They are
a team that comes through in the clutch. They are
a team that defends at the highest of levels. They
(16:56):
are a team that can win in multiple ways offensively.
They are a team that makes winning plays constantly. Everyone
who picked against the Celtics was thinking.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
About what they used to be.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Everyone who picked against the Celtics was wearing blinders and
was unable to see what the Celtics are and what
the Celtics are now. Are a championship level team that
has dominated to a fifteen to two record in this postseason.
(17:34):
They have answered every single question that has been posed
to them. And the final thing that they can do
with the cherry on top is to win the fourth
game of this series, to win a fourth game of
this series and get on that mountaintop, and that opportunity
(17:55):
is coming up Friday night. But they have answered every
single question, every single clee as the Warlock eighty six says,
has been squashed. It got squashed tonight. Start giving credit
where credit is due, all right, Next up, Sean Gee says,
this team finds so many ways to win.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
And then three four leaf clover emojis.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
I cannot wait for this postseason to be over and
us to be able to look back at all the
ways the Celtics won games this postseason. And the great
thing about it is that they had been doing this
all season. Like the Celtics have always this season found
different ways to win. It started on Opening night in
(18:44):
New York. They found a way to win in the
clutch with Christas Porzingis, and then tonight, after blowing a
twenty one point lead in the fourth quarter and all
the pressure being on their shoulders, they found a way.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
They found a way.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
To navigate that space through their star wings, who each
scored critical points during those final minutes. They found a
way to do it through their defense. They found a
way to do it with mental strength and stability. But
they have found so many ways to win, Deshaun's point
(19:20):
throughout this entire postseason. Game winners, defensive, lockdown defense, clutch
plays out of timeouts, great coaching, great individual.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
Performances, great team performances.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
They have won in basically every way you could possibly
win a basketball game. They've done it in this postseason.
And that, my friends, is the marker of a champion.
That is what champions are. That is what we hope
what champions will be. When we're talking about this Boston
Celtics team, they find so many ways to win. They've
(19:57):
done it all year long, and they did it yet
again Wednesday night in Game three. All Right, our last
comment of the night coming in from Ricky Spanish saying,
one away, do it for Bill Walton, Bill Russell and
Tommy Hinson. Everyone on this team is a Celtic forever,
(20:17):
no matter what happens, win it in Dallas and bring
it home for the parade. You know, Ricky, I love
what you're saying here, and I had to choose this
comment tonight because of the start of what you said here.
Do it for Bill Walton, Bill Russell, and Tommy Hinson.
Do it for all of the legends who want nothing
(20:39):
more than the Celtics to win another title. All three
of these legends, Bill Walton, Bill Russell, and Tommy Hinson,
they died wanting the Celtics to get back over that
hump again.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
You know it.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
They bled green, they built the foundation of this organization.
They wanted nothing more than for this team to get
over the hump. And Bob Coosey, I believe just said
it either yesterday or today. I'm gonna paraphrase here, but
he basically said, I'm ninety I think he's ninety six
(21:18):
or ninety eight years old. He said, I'm that age
and the last dying wish that I have is to
be able to watch the Celtics win another championship. And
that is what makes this organization special. If this Celtics
team does win a championship, it's not just for them,
It's for everyone who came before.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Everyone.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
It's for everyone that's hanging in the rafters. It's for
everyone who donned a jersey. It's for everyone who has
bled green. It's for all of the players from the
twenty tens in two thousand leading up to the twenty
twees who set the base for this team to get
to where it is today. A championship would belong to everyone.
(22:09):
It would mean something to everyone. And that is the
beauty of what the Celtics could possibly accomplish in Game
four or beyond in this series.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
One win away, one win away from.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Every player on this roster etching their name in Celtic
history forever. And that's how I'm gonna wrap this up tonight, folks,
because that's that's the greatest thing for us all to
think about. A marinate on as we head toward Friday
night for Game four. That game will be at eight
(22:50):
thirty pm Eastern on ABC, and I hope everyone tunes in.
We got an opportunity to close this out on the road, folks.
The Celtics are one win away from their eighteenth NBA
championship and they're gonna try to pull it off Friday
night here in Dallas against the Mavericks. Luka Doncic, Kyrie
Irving and the most talented backcourt in the history of
(23:13):
the NBA again eight thirty Friday night on ABC. Unfortunately,
we are flying out immediately after that game, so I
will not be able to record a sound off on
Friday night regardless of what happens. But if there is
a game five, I will be back for another episode
of sound Off, so I will see you guys then
(23:34):
if that does wind up happening. If it doesn't, that
means something pretty darn fun happen Friday night, and I
can't wait to celebrate with all of you. I appreciate
you tuning in, I appreciate you taking part, and hopefully
I see you in the future for another episode of
sound Off from Asso check
The Boston Celtics just took a three nothing series lead
in the NBA Finals, and we just launched a brand
new dedicated feed for this podcast, sound Off with the
Boston Celtics. So if you are getting this episode from
the View from the Rafters feed, please go search on
your podcast platform for sound Off with the Boston Celtics,
(00:20):
click subscribe, and we'll make sure that you get every
single episode of sound Off, not only for the remainder
of these NBA Finals, but also for every game into
the future in future seasons. All right, with that, here's
the latest episode from Dallas of sound Off with the
Boston Celtics.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Mound off on the Boston Celtics doing it yet again.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
And when I say doing it, I mean winning an
NBA Finals game, I mean coming to you in the clutch,
I mean proving all of the naysayers wrong. I mean
being on the doorstep of an NBA championship.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
The Celtics came back.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
From trailing early in this game, then they pulled ahead
by as many as twenty one points in the fourth quarter,
and then they had to fend off a pesky Mavericks
team over the final three and a half minutes and
that is what I have to concentrate on. We all
have to concentrate on the Boston Celtics answering every question
in the book about them in the clutch to pull
(01:31):
off this Game three victory. Listen, Dallas did not go
away quietly. Luka Doncic fouled out during the final minutes
of this game, Kyrie Irving and the rest of the
team continued to play and plug away, and they got
this down to a one point game with about three
and a half minutes left. Think about this, The Celtics
had led by twenty one points early in the fourth
(01:53):
quarter about ten minutes left. That lead was all the
way down to one with three and a half minutes left.
Think about the pressure that was on Boston's shoulders. Most
of Celtics Nation was probably thinking about, Well, if we
lose this game, it's gonna be like Game four against
(02:17):
Golden State back in twenty twenty two, when the Celtics
could have taken a three to one series lead, and
if they did that, the series is completely different.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Well, if they lose this game.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
In that fashion, a two to one series with Dallas
coming back for a win in that fashion would make
this series feel much different than it does right now.
But we don't need to concentrate on that because the
Celtics figured it out. They figured it out when every
(02:51):
when push came to shove, when every challenge came to
their face, they faced it head on and they battled
through it. Jalen Brown twenty four points during the second half,
multiple clutch shots during the final minutes, defensive stops drew Holliday.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
I'm not gonna say it definitely was.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
A foul, but he drew an illegal screen foul that
was critical to closing off this win.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
The Celtics got forced just enough misses.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Jason Tatum drove to the basket for a huge dunk
to make it a six point game. With a couple
of minutes left. Jason Tatum and Derek White made four
straight free throws to ice the game during the final minute.
Everything the Celtics had to do, they did it in
order to win this game. And now here they are
with a three to zero series lead. And I don't
(03:43):
think I'm gonna be the first person or the last
person to remind you by the time Friday arrives that
no team in the history of NBA basketball has ever
come back to win a series after falling behind three
games to none. So the Celtics have put all of
the pressure on the Dallas Mavericks. The Dallas Mavericks are
(04:06):
one loss away from their season, their magical season of
finding themselves in the NBA Finals. They are one loss
away from all of that being over. And the Boston Celtics,
on the other side of the ball, are one win
away from evaporating and eviscerating every naysayer out there and
(04:28):
winning an eighteenth championship behind their cornerstone wings Jason Tatum
and Jalen Brown, who, by the way, each scored thirty
points thirty plus points in this Game three victory. Those
two guys brought it. They didn't necessarily shoot the ball
particularly well throughout the entire game, but they brought it
(04:50):
in every facet. They brought it on defense, they scored points,
they dished out assists, they grabbed rebounds, they defended at
a high level. They gave constant effort throughout this game.
Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum brought the goods in Game three,
and they are the main reason why the Boston Celtics
are now on the precipice of grabbing in eighteenth NBA Championship.
(05:14):
They were outstanding. Derek White also chipped in sixteen points.
Let's not forget about Sam Howser coming off the bench
and draining a few three pointers during the first half.
He was a plus sixteen in only fourteen plus minutes tonight.
In last, but not least, can we please talk about
Xavier Tillman. All the talk for the last few days
(05:38):
after finding out about this Christas Porzingis injury in his ankle,
was about the Celtics not having the depth to overcome
that in the NBA Finals if Porzingis cannot play well.
We found out about an hour and a half or so,
an hour before this game. It was an hour and
(05:58):
a half before this game that Porzingis was not able
to play.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
And what did everyone think?
Speaker 1 (06:04):
The Celtics aren't gonna be able to pull this off
without Christas Porzingis. He's the guy that unlocks the offense,
He's the guy who protects the rim. He's the guy
the Celtics acquired for these exact reasons, in these exact moments. Well,
guess what they figured it out. And one of the
key reasons why is one Xavier Tilman. Joe Mizzoula pushed
(06:28):
all the right buttons on this night. He called the
right timeouts, He pushed the team in the right direction
at both ends of the court throughout this game, no
matter what was going on, and the biggest decision that
he made was calling Xavier Tillman's number to replace Christas
Porzingis in that lineup. Tilman wound up playing eleven plus minutes.
(06:53):
He was a plus nine in those eleven minutes, grabbed
four rebounds, blocked a couple of shots, and made his
one and only shot of the night. That was a
three pointer late in the third quarter, as the Celtics
were rattling off a fourteen to five run to really
(07:15):
begin taking control of this game. Xavier Tilman was spotting
up in the corner the right corner of the court.
Jalen Brown drives to the basket and kicks out to him,
and Jalen said after the game, it was like a
divine moment when.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
He made that pass.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
He knew for a fact, without a doubt, that Xavier
Tilman was going to make that shot, and guess what
he did.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
He made that shot, and he's the one who pushed.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
The Celtics ahead by thirteen points with two fourteen left
in the third quarter, and at that very moment when
Xavier Tillman, who by the way, is a career twenty
seven percent shooter from long range, a guy who shot
only twenty nine percent from three point range in twenty
games with the Celtics this season, he is the one
(08:10):
who made the three pointer from the corner. He is
the guy who Jalen Brown trusted and who Jalen Brown
knew for a fact was going to make that shot.
And when that shot went in, I think everyone on
Dallas's bench, I think everyone on Boston's bench, and I
(08:31):
think every single person watching this game in person or
watching on television or listening on the radio knew it
was Boston's night. That might have been the biggest shot
of the game simply because of who made it. It's
one of those times when the opponent watches this ball
(08:53):
fall through the basket and they're just like, Xavier Tillman's
making threes tonight, all right, this just isn't our night.
And that's not to say anything down about Xavier Tillman,
but he's not known as a three point shooter. He
is not Christas porzingis he is not El Horford. Yet
he made the shot arguably the biggest and most momentous
(09:15):
building shot of this game, his only shot of the game.
He was excellent defensively and truly, truly, truly changed this
game for Boston because when he checked into the game,
they knew they had a reliable big who could switch,
(09:38):
who could defend, who could rebound, and who, if he
had to, could make a corner three. He did everything
Boston could have asked from him tonight, and I don't
think the Celtics win this game without him. And that
is what makes a team. That is what makes this
Boston Celtics team special. They've on this all year. There
(10:01):
has not been a stretch of this entire season, which
is now ninety nine games in. There has not been
a single stretch of this season when the Celtics have
not had answers, have not had players on the bench
stepping up when asked to do so. These guys from
top to bottom have contributed at every turn, at every opportunity,
(10:28):
and tonight, man, it was so fulfilling watching Xavier Tillman
get his opportunity to check in and make an impact
on the NBA Finals.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Remember this is a.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Guy that the Celtics quietly acquired at the trade deadline
this season. Not a lot of people spoke about it,
but this is why they got him. They needed someone
they could trust, someone who's reliable, someone who's consistent, someone
who's intelligent, someone who's willing to buy into their role.
In Xavier Tillman is every bit of all of those things.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
He was clutched.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Tonight and man, he is a critical reason as to
why the Celtics are now one win away from an
NBA title. Listen, I want to dive into some comments
from Celtics nation. Everyone is jacked up after this win
because everyone knows how close the team is to accomplishing
the ultimate goal. Here's the questions and the comments that
(11:28):
we've got coming in tonight. Justin Morris is first on
what Boston has done to the most talented backcourt in
the NBA history.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
The Warlock eighty six.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Comes in in comments on squashing cliches. Sean g then
comments on the Celtics finding ways to win, and then
Ricky Spanish closes us out on how much this potential
title can mean historically and to the city of Boston,
New England and the organization. So with that, let's dive
(11:59):
into our first comment from Justin Morris. All right, Justin
Morris opening us up. Here is his comment saying, Celtics
holding the best backcourt in history to under one hundred
points in three straight games must mean they're pretty special defensively. Huh, Jason,
I think I just realized I've been calling you justin
(12:20):
so far it's Jason Morris.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
I apologize for that. Jason. You are spot on.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
The defense has been unbelievable in this series. I said
going into the series that the one thing that the
Celtics could do to make sure that they would be
on the right side at the end of the series
is played defense with the level of intensity and effort
that they brought to the table for the final minutes
of Games three and four and Game one against Indiana
(12:47):
when they absolutely had to get stops. If they could
do that for entire games, if they could do that
for this entire series, they would be incredibly difficult to beat.
And what have they gone on to do? They have
done exactly that. Sure, Luka, Doncicchen, Kyrie Irving have had
(13:07):
some great games.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Tonight.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
They combined for seventy two points but guess what they
required fifty five shots to get there. The Celtics have
held a team that has been led by what many
people believe to be the most talented backcourt in the
(13:32):
history of the NBA. I will repeat that this back
court of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic is regarded almost
unanimously as the most talented backcourt in the history of
the NBA, and now Boston in three games of the
NBA Finals has prevented that team led by those guys,
(13:55):
led by that duo from cracking one hundred points a
single time. They have not cracked one hundred points yet
in this series. Sub triple digits every single game. That
is elite defense, that is championship level defense. The Celtics
(14:18):
are answering the call at that end of the court.
They have been unbelievable defensively, and I'm talking not just
with individual effort, but as a unit being on the
same page. The rotations have been tight, the effort has
been constant from the start of defensive possessions to the
end of defensive possessions.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
It's been awesome to watch.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Everyone who watched that two thousand and eight title you
gotta be having some reminiscing going on right now because
this defense has been playing at that level. We're talking
about an NBA era right now where teams are basically
scoring one hundred and ten to one hundred and twenty
points every single game. And the Boston Celtics have held
their opponent in the NBA Finals. Their opponent, mind you,
(15:02):
that is led by arguably the most talented back court
in the history of the league. They have held that
team to less than one hundred points every single game
so far. No other team in the league would have
done this. The Timberwolves didn't do this, No other team
(15:22):
would have done this. Just the Celtics. Incredible defensive performance
so far in this series. All right, Next up the
Warlock eighty six says relief. Every cliche got squashed. Quote
Tatum is a fraud End quote. Well thirty points on
(15:43):
the road with no KP. Next up in quotes, can't
win in the clutch end quote up by one, ninety
three to ninety two and one. Next quote, didn't beat
a healthy team?
Speaker 2 (15:58):
End quote. Just did anything else?
Speaker 1 (16:03):
All of these cliches, all of these questions that have
been surrounding the Celtics for weeks, for months for the
entire season.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Jalen Brown spoke about this after the game.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Everyone for the past six to eight months have been
talking about what the Celtics used to be. Everyone who
picked against the Celtics in this series did it because
of what the Celtics used to be. But every single
one of those people who chose and picked against the
Celtics don't understand what the Celtics are. They are not
(16:36):
what they used to be. They are a team that
is different. They are a team that is mentally strong.
They are a team that answers the call every time.
They are a team that overcomes adversity constantly, at every
single opportunity that they have to face it. They are
a team that comes through in the clutch. They are
a team that defends at the highest of levels. They
(16:56):
are a team that can win in multiple ways offensively.
They are a team that makes winning plays constantly. Everyone
who picked against the Celtics was thinking.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
About what they used to be.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Everyone who picked against the Celtics was wearing blinders and
was unable to see what the Celtics are and what
the Celtics are now. Are a championship level team that
has dominated to a fifteen to two record in this postseason.
(17:34):
They have answered every single question that has been posed
to them. And the final thing that they can do
with the cherry on top is to win the fourth
game of this series, to win a fourth game of
this series and get on that mountaintop, and that opportunity
(17:55):
is coming up Friday night. But they have answered every
single question, every single clee as the Warlock eighty six says,
has been squashed. It got squashed tonight. Start giving credit
where credit is due, all right, Next up, Sean Gee says,
this team finds so many ways to win.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
And then three four leaf clover emojis.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
I cannot wait for this postseason to be over and
us to be able to look back at all the
ways the Celtics won games this postseason. And the great
thing about it is that they had been doing this
all season. Like the Celtics have always this season found
different ways to win. It started on Opening night in
(18:44):
New York. They found a way to win in the
clutch with Christas Porzingis, and then tonight, after blowing a
twenty one point lead in the fourth quarter and all
the pressure being on their shoulders, they found a way.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
They found a way.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
To navigate that space through their star wings, who each
scored critical points during those final minutes. They found a
way to do it through their defense. They found a
way to do it with mental strength and stability. But
they have found so many ways to win, Deshaun's point
(19:20):
throughout this entire postseason. Game winners, defensive, lockdown defense, clutch
plays out of timeouts, great coaching, great individual.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
Performances, great team performances.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
They have won in basically every way you could possibly
win a basketball game. They've done it in this postseason.
And that, my friends, is the marker of a champion.
That is what champions are. That is what we hope
what champions will be. When we're talking about this Boston
Celtics team, they find so many ways to win. They've
(19:57):
done it all year long, and they did it yet
again Wednesday night in Game three. All Right, our last
comment of the night coming in from Ricky Spanish saying,
one away, do it for Bill Walton, Bill Russell and
Tommy Hinson. Everyone on this team is a Celtic forever,
(20:17):
no matter what happens, win it in Dallas and bring
it home for the parade. You know, Ricky, I love
what you're saying here, and I had to choose this
comment tonight because of the start of what you said here.
Do it for Bill Walton, Bill Russell, and Tommy Hinson.
Do it for all of the legends who want nothing
(20:39):
more than the Celtics to win another title. All three
of these legends, Bill Walton, Bill Russell, and Tommy Hinson,
they died wanting the Celtics to get back over that
hump again.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
You know it.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
They bled green, they built the foundation of this organization.
They wanted nothing more than for this team to get
over the hump. And Bob Coosey, I believe just said
it either yesterday or today. I'm gonna paraphrase here, but
he basically said, I'm ninety I think he's ninety six
(21:18):
or ninety eight years old. He said, I'm that age
and the last dying wish that I have is to
be able to watch the Celtics win another championship. And
that is what makes this organization special. If this Celtics
team does win a championship, it's not just for them,
It's for everyone who came before.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Everyone.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
It's for everyone that's hanging in the rafters. It's for
everyone who donned a jersey. It's for everyone who has
bled green. It's for all of the players from the
twenty tens in two thousand leading up to the twenty
twees who set the base for this team to get
to where it is today. A championship would belong to everyone.
(22:09):
It would mean something to everyone. And that is the
beauty of what the Celtics could possibly accomplish in Game
four or beyond in this series.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
One win away, one win away from.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Every player on this roster etching their name in Celtic
history forever. And that's how I'm gonna wrap this up tonight, folks,
because that's that's the greatest thing for us all to
think about. A marinate on as we head toward Friday
night for Game four. That game will be at eight
(22:50):
thirty pm Eastern on ABC, and I hope everyone tunes in.
We got an opportunity to close this out on the road, folks.
The Celtics are one win away from their eighteenth NBA
championship and they're gonna try to pull it off Friday
night here in Dallas against the Mavericks. Luka Doncic, Kyrie
Irving and the most talented backcourt in the history of
(23:13):
the NBA again eight thirty Friday night on ABC. Unfortunately,
we are flying out immediately after that game, so I
will not be able to record a sound off on
Friday night regardless of what happens. But if there is
a game five, I will be back for another episode
of sound Off, so I will see you guys then
(23:34):
if that does wind up happening. If it doesn't, that
means something pretty darn fun happen Friday night, and I
can't wait to celebrate with all of you. I appreciate
you tuning in, I appreciate you taking part, and hopefully
I see you in the future for another episode of
sound Off from Asso check
Host
Marc D'Amico
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