It has been done before in the MLB and NHL, but never before in the NBA has a team come back from a 3-0 series deficit in the playoffs. Going up 3-0 in the NBA means that one team is either vastly superior to the other, or has thoroughly outplayed and outmaneuvered the opposition. That was the case with the Boston Celtics' tussle against the Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, as Jimmy Butler and company were simply too much to handle for an unfocused, inconsistent Celtics squad.

Nevertheless, as the old adage goes, “it ain't over until it's over.” The first team to take home four victories wins the series, and the Heat, following their 116-99 loss to the Celtics in Game 4, weren't able to finish the job just yet. Thus, Celtics point guard Marcus Smart knows that while winning the series remains very unlikely, they still have a fighting chance — as long as they don't get too ahead of themselves.

“We just got to go out and win another one. That's all that matters. We take it one game at a time. We understand the odds are stacked against us but we're a team that believes in us no matter what and we just got to keep going. All that matters is the next game,” Smart said in his postgame presser, per NBC Sports Boston.

Marcus Smart then added that for the Celtics to at least send the series back to Miami for a Game 6, they will have to concentrate their efforts on nailing the things they excelled at in Game 4.

“Doing the little things over and over. We trusting in each other, we believed in each other continuously. Even when we were down. No matter what we got to continue to play the right way,” Smart added.

Trust was indeed a big factor; the Celtics moved the basketball well en route to posting 28 assists on the night, stretching the Heat's defense beyond its breaking point.

Nevertheless, only time will tell if the Celtics do indeed sustain the effort they showed in Game 4, when they take on the Heat at home on Thursday night at 8:30 PM E.T.