© Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Celtics Eager to Atone for Costly Approach Last Postseason
The Boston Celtics’ 64-win season not only marks the fifth-best winning percentage in franchise history, but it also gives them home-court advantage throughout the NBA Playoffs.
Boston finished the season with a seven-game lead on the rest of the league, as well as a 14-game lead atop the Eastern Conference.
Getting to play the first two games of every series at TD Garden should be a huge advantage for the Celtics, who went 37-4 at home this season. However, it didn’t prove to be last year.
Despite having home-court advantage in the three series they played in, Boston went 4-6 at TD Garden last postseason, including a Game 7 loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.
"Yeah, last year we weren’t good,” Al Horford said at practice on Tuesday. “This year feels different [with] the way that we’ve been playing at home. But I just think we have an understanding that we have to come out and play and perform.
“I feel like last year we kind of leaned on, 'We're at home, our fans are going to put us over the top' type thing. Probably the mindset wasn’t the best that it needed to be.”
This year, the Celtics don’t plan on letting those same issues persist.
“I feel like now we understand that we have to come out ready to go, and just because we’re here at the Garden, we’re not just going to win automatically,” Horford said. “And I think that we’re aware of that, and we’ve done a better job of that this year.”
Further Reading
Brad Stevens Notes Crucial Element of Celtics' Title Pursuit: 'Bigger Than Themselves'
After Career Night, Reflective Payton Pritchard Discusses NBA Journey and His Ultimate Pursuit
'Nip That in the Bud': Celtics Address End-of-Season Struggles
Jrue Holiday on Celtics Extension: 'Try to Get More Banners, Get More Rings'
Celtics Embracing Challenge to Go Beyond Most Talented
Jayson Tatum Opens Up About Sacrificing in Celtics' Title Pursuit: 'It's a Process'
