USATSI_18499942 — Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Celtics Feed Off Home Crowd in Game 3 Win Over Warriors: 'They give us so much energy and so much juice'

When there's a one-to-one tie in the NBA Finals, whoever prevails in Game 3 raises the Larry O'Brien Trophy 82.1 percent of the time.

Author:
Bobby Krivitsky
Jun 9, 2022 1:44 AM EDT

Before Wednesday, the Celtics hadn't hosted an NBA Finals game since 2010. The wait turned a building that comes alive on a winter weeknight against a .500 opponent into an atmosphere even more electric than usual.

So, what was the experience like for the home team as they fed off that energy?

Jayson Tatum expressed: "Throughout this entire playoffs, we haven't been as good at home. And we definitely feel bad about that to our fans. Because they give us so much energy and so much juice. Before the game even started, you could feel the energy throughout the building."

USATSI_18499809 — Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Tatum, who registered 26 points, a game-high nine assists, and six rebounds in Boston's 116-100 win, added: "It just felt great. It felt like it's been a while since we played in this building. Happy to get a win in front of the crowd. They've been so great for us throughout the playoffs and all season and throughout my career. So, it was great to get a win for them, and we're going to need them on Friday as well."

Al Horford, who had 11 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and made an impact going beyond the stat sheet, pointed to the "contagious energy" from the TD Garden faithful as playing a role in the Celtics withstanding a Warriors' third-quarter run that saw the visitors take an 83-82 lead, shared: "I felt it when I did my shooting slot an hour and a half before the game, and when I saw that I was like, 'yeah, this is going to be different tonight.'"

USATSI_18500271 — Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Smart, who produced 24 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, said of the atmosphere for the first NBA Finals game in Boston in 12 years: "It definitely felt different. It definitely is fuel to the fire for us. It gives us goose bumps to be able to say that."

Smart went on to say: "We look up, and we see those banners, and we see those numbers, (and) it's something that gives us motivation to try to go out there and be the next person up."