The Boston Celtics would not go quietly against the red hot Golden State Warriors in a 111-114 loss on Sunday night. The C’s did not give up after finding themselves down by 12 points late in the fourth quarter and gave the Warriors a slight scare. This is a game that the Celtics should not have been in at all, but it turned out to be a game they had a reasonable chance to win.
The reason for this is that they are relying on heart and effort rather than talent.
Even the Celtics’ coaches have started to break out of their respective shells. Assistant coach Walter McCarty was tagged with a technical foul for barking about a no-call against the Portland Trail Blazers last Thursday night. Head coach Brad Stevens also pushed the limits as he gave officials an earful at the end of the second half.
The heart the Celtics are playing with likely comes from their head coach. He is beginning to come into his own in this league and is facing a test in having one of the worst teams in the league. However, Stevens has made it clear that despite what Danny Ainge might have planned, the Celtics will not be tanking. The message he is giving to his team is that they have nothing to lose and everything to prove. The players are responding in a big way.
Kevin McHugh is a Boston Celtics writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MchughintheBean or add him to your network on Google.
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