Rozier On C’s Game 3 Loss: ‘We Needed To Get Our Butts Whooped’
Terry Rozier III shared some strong words following the Boston Celtics, 118-86, Game 3 East Finals loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night.
By John 'The Dude' Hardiman, 985TheSportsHub.com
Terry Rozier III shared some strong words following the Boston Celtics, 118-86, Game 3 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night in the Eastern Conference Finals.
During a post-game scrum with reporters, Rozier made some really good points that need some highlighting.
First off he highlighted that sometimes a team needs a reality check to realize that they’re not invincible.
Sure a 30-point loss is a bit much, but according to Rozier, it was needed.
“I feel like we needed this [playoff loss]. You know to get us back. To get us ready for Monday,” Rozier said.
“We needed to get our butts whooped. You know, come back to reality. And take care of business on Monday.”
He has a point.
Because how many times have we seen a blowout loss followed up by either a convincing or grinded-out win in the following game?
Plenty of times. So here's the Celtics chance to take the loss to the chest and come back better and more aggressive in Game 4, as they try to go up 3-1 in the series on Monday night.
Cleveland - Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives against Celtics guard Terry Rozier (12) in Game 3 of the Eastern conference finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on May 19, 2018. (Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports)
When asked if there was any disappointment following the C’s Game 3 loss, Rozier said, “no disappointment. All the credit goes to them. We got to play better. Sometimes you can’t win em’ all.”
“They came out aggressive from the jump and never looked back,” said Rozier.
“When you got a team playing aggressive like that, at home, it’s tough.”
Rozier continued on with a little insight from Celtics head coach Brad Stevens.
“Like our Coach [Stevens] says all the time, ‘the toughest team sets the rules.’”
When asked about the Celtics’ confidence going into Monday night’s game:
“We’re very confident. We need to come out and play aggressive from the rip,” Rozier said. “We got to control what we can control and we got to be the harder playing team.”
Rozier knows it's not going to be easy Monday, so the Celtics need "to come out and play better,” if they want to steal one in Cleveland before returning home for Game 5 on Wednesday night.
With the lopsided Game 3 loss, the Celtics now only hold a 2-1 series lead over the Cavs in the East Finals. And have now fallen to 1-5 on the road throughout the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
The East Finals will continue on Monday night, with Game 4 tip-off set for 8:30 p.m. in Cleveland.
UP NEXT: The #2 Boston Celtics (55-27/2-1) will remain in Cleveland to take on the #4 Cavaliers (50-32/1-2) on Monday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Catch the call of the game with Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell, live on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Pre-game coverage begins at 8:00 p.m., with tip-off set for 8:30 p.m.
John Hardiman is a Digital Producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for John? Hit him up on Twitter @HardiDude or e-mail him at jhardiman@985thesportshub.com.
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