Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics are halfway to NBA Playoffs history, as they have turned a 3-0 hole against the Miami Heat into a 3-2 series after back-to-back blowout victories. So, what changed for the Celtics?

As it turns out, going down 3-0 was a good thing? As Tatum told reporters in his postgame press conference, facing a seemingly insurmountable hole “freed” the Celtics, per HoopsHype on Twitter.

“Being down 3-0, you understand how that's never been done. All the talk about that. It kind of gave us a sense of, everybody's counting us out, we're supposed to be done. I think we started to play a little bit more free, relaxed.”

Tatum spoke about how Game 3 was “as low as you can be.” The Celtics star noted the good part about that- Boston could only go up in terms of their level of play.

That, coupled with the fact that people began to write off the Celtics in a coronation of the Heat, served as a sense of freedom for a team that was perhaps a bit too uptight through the first three games of the NBA Playoffs series.

In many ways, getting punched in the mouth by the Heat in Games 1-3 was the wake-up call this Celtics squad needed, especially Tatum.

He had scored just 14 points on 6-for-18 shooting from the field in Game 3 and had drawn the ire of pundits for what they felt was a disappearing act late in the fourth quarters of Games 1 and 2.

But he has righted the ship, pouring in 11 fourth quarter points in Game 4, while showing off his playmaking prowess with 11 assists in Game 5.

With improved play from Tatum and a free mindset, the Celtics might just do something that has never been done before in the NBA Playoffs.