The Celtics have been firing on ALL CYLINDERS tonight vs. the Heat. Through 3 quarters: 🔥40-of-61 FG (65.6%) 🔥16-of-31 3PT (51.6%)
"It doesn't mean anything at all": Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla shrugs off defeat to Miami Heat
NBAFriday, 26 January 2024 at 14:00
The Boston Celtics lit up the Kaseya Center on Thursday night with a 143-110 thrashing of the Miami Heat. The win, which raised the Celtics' record to 35-10 and positioned them 2-0 in the regular season series with Miami, saw a historic performance in terms of shooting efficiency, with a true shooting percentage of 80.5%, according to Stat Muse.
Jayson Tatum led the charge with 26 points and eight rebounds, and was a beacon of efficiency from the field, highlighting the team's intentionality on every play. Speaking to Inside The Celtics, Tatum emphasized that the key to success was focus and determination in the execution of his game.
However, from head coach Joe Mazzulla to stars Jaylen Brown and Tatum, the post-game message was clear: enjoy the win, learn from it, but keep perspective and don't get caught up in the momentary success.
"This game is very good, but it means nothing at all in the grand scheme of things if we don't take the lessons we need to apply for the next game," Mazzulla said.
The team, mindful of lessons learned from last season, now adopts a "win the day" mantra. They learned not to underestimate the importance of the regular season and to stay focused on the present. Positive and negative experience, conference finals and painful defeats have forged a mature mindset in the Celtics.
"We've been to the Finals, a game before the Finals, Game 7, where the intensity level is much higher than tonight, so you go in with a smile on your face and play," Brown said, reflecting the team's confidence and maturity.
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