Some experts said the Eastern Conference Finals were over after a convincing Cleveland Cavaliers road win on Game 1, while some others called it done after a 44-point massacre of the Boston Celtics in Game 2 and an injury to their best player, Isaiah Thomas.
But Al Horford wasn't ready to give up hope despite facing what seemed like insurmountable odds against a team with proven championship pedigree, pulling out an unlikely Game 3 111-108 road win against an undefeated powerhouse, shifting momentum back the Celtics' way.
“It's big,” Horford said of the win to CSN New England. “A lot of people doubted us out there, they thought we were finished and we got beat bad, but it's all about how you bounce back.”
None of this fairytale Game 3 ending would have taken place without a wing three-point shot from shooting guard Avery Bradley, which bounced on the rim four times before swiftly dropping in with less than a second to go in the game.
Horford described the play designed by coach Brad Stevens as well as the impact of it in the game.
“Take the screen for Avery, and Avery knocked it down — it was a huge shot,” Horford said. “Before that Jonas (Jerebko) hit one, guys stepped up.”
The Celtics, doubted or not, will take Game 4 at Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday — and are no strangers at regaining their home court advantage as they did so in the first-round against the Chicago Bulls, winning four in a row to wrap up the series.
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