The Boston Celtics found themselves in an unenviable position in Game 1 of the NBA Finals: down by 12 points heading into the fourth quarter on the road against the Golden State Warriors. Many assumed the Warriors, who have been in this situation before, would secure the victory. However, the Celtics, powered by an avalanche of three-pointers, emerged victorious with a victory. Jayson Tatum revealed the Celtics' message in the huddle before the incredible fourth quarter comeback, per ESPN.
“The message at the start of the fourth was, ‘We've been here before,'” Tatum said. “We know what it takes to overcome a deficit like that. Obviously that's a great team. It's not going to be easy. But just knowing we've been in that situation before and we've gotten our self out of it. We had a lot of time left, right? It wasn't time to hang your head or be done, it was time to figure it out.”
Evidently, it wasn't just the Warriors who had been in this situation before. Citing previous instances where they were down, Tatum said that the Celtics' message was that they have “been here before.”




They weren't taking anything away from the Warriors, who have a boatload of NBA Finals experience, but they knew what it took to overcome the deficit.
Per ESPN Stats and Info, Boston became the first team to win an NBA Finals game by double digits after trailing by double digits. That's how much of a sure thing a Warriors victory looked like at the start of the fourth- and how improbable a Celtics victory seemed.
However, Tatum and company, who have made a habit out of overcoming adversity this postseason, made it happen.