The Boston Celtics got humbled on Friday night.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were talking smack to the team after one quarter.
Then, the Cleveland Cavaliers stormed right back from a 22-point deficit to get perhaps their biggest win of the season.
That’s why, after the game, coach Joe Mazzulla could only tip his hat to them.
Talking to the media, he stated that it was very difficult to beat a great team three or four times (via Tom Carroll).
Here’s Joe Mazzulla pregame when asked for a takeaway from his team’s disappointing loss to Cleveland on Friday:
“When two great teams are going against each other, it’s hard to win a game 3 or 4 times…”@WEEI #Celtics pic.twitter.com/yyrUxfkbEJ
— Tom Carroll (@yaboiTCfresh) March 2, 2025
The Celtics were on the verge of going 3-1 vs. the Cavs this season.
That would’ve sent a strong message ahead of a potential matchup in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Instead, they’ve now split the regular-season series, and all the games have been pretty close.
The Cavaliers may have added the piece they needed to match up with them by acquiring De’Andre Hunter, and signing Javonte Green gives them another physical wing and defensive player to bother Brown and Tatum.
Of course, the Celtics are still the odds-on favorites to come out of the East, even though the Cavs have had the best record in the league for most of the NBA season.
There’s still plenty of basketball left in the regular season, and the Celtics are battle-tested in the postseason.
That’s where the Cavs must prove that they’re for real and that their strong regular season wasn’t a fluke.
And just like Coach Mazzulla said, it won’t be easy getting past another championship contender three or four times.
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