Following one of, and perhaps the Boston Celtics most impressive win of the season, a game where they feasted on mismatches and scored 56 points in the paint, helping them turn a 14-point deficit into a 22-point victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, here's what the Celtics had to say about the win over their rivals.
Jayson Tatum
“We’ve got a lot of fight in us. Tonight, the crowd helped us out tremendously. Knowing that Lakers VS Celtics, regardless of who’s playing, what the record is, that game has always been special, ever since I’ve been here. It was a big win tonight, bouncing back from Atlanta, and guys being out, stuff like that, we showed some fight tonight.”
When asked about the shooting struggles that preceded Tatum scoring 34 points Wednesday in Atlanta, then following it up with 37 tonight on 13/26 shooting, he said: "I ain't think I'd be shooting this bad at the beginning of the season. But I was never worried. I put in too much work to worry or doubt."
Last night, Tatum tweeted about Kevin Garnett's Showtime documentary, Anything Is Possible, saying: "stole game from the truth...but Ticket was my favorite Celtic."
Post-game, when asked about why he liked KG's game, Tatum answered: "Just the aggressiveness that he played with, the intensity, the passion. ... Even to this day, when I get a chance to be around him and talk to him, he's the same person you see on TV."
When asked about being with LeBron James, among others at his first All-Star Game, a candid Tatum responded: "That was the first time in my career I felt like I belonged in this room. ... I was in the locker room with them, I was on that team. I think ever since then I've kind of taken the approach of, I belong in that locker room."
Tatum also spoke about Bill Russell and Paul Pierce being in attendance for the Celtics' win over the Lakers and what those two mean to the franchise.
Tatum wasn't alone at the podium, bringing former Celtic Evan Turner via FaceTime.
MARCUS SMART
When asked about him relentlessly attacking the basket in the first quarter, rescuing an offense that had been reluctant to do so, and represented the turning point in the game, Smart said: “Just got to continue to be aggressive. My mindset was I didn’t want for us to go into our old habits of just settling, trying to get it back in one possession. Just trying to attack the rim, find the right plays for myself and for other guys, and that’s what we’ve been missing a lot of the years. When we get down like that against a good team, we tend to relax and kind of go the easy route and try to shoot our way out of it.”
As a follow-up, Smart was asked about his message to the team after they struggled in the first quarter: ”It was just continue to keep going. Don’t settle. We can get those shots any time. Just continue to drive. There’s a lot of matchups out there that we can exploit, just try to go out there and do it.”
On what this win, down two starters, coming back from a 14-point deficit to win by 22, says about this team, Smart stated: “Just shows that we’re not perfect, but the fight is in us. It might not look like it right now, but we’re gonna turn things around.”
Dennis Schroder
Schroder, who was questionable for tonight's game, said he twisted his ankle pretty badly against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday but "had to be here" to play against his former team. Schroder added that he's still pretty sore but that he "made it work."
Schroder also acknowledged how important it is for the Celtics not to settle for threes and to consistently attack the basket, saying: "I think our group, we just can't let people off the hook. We have to be aggressive, put pressure on the rim. That's when we're at our best."
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November 20, 2021 at 02:40PM
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Here's What the Celtics Had to Say After Their 22-Point Victory Over the Lakers - Sports Illustrated
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