Celtics' Horford: People thought we were finished, but 'we got heart'
With their backs against the wall, the Boston Celtics did the unthinkable.
The C's headed to Cleveland in a 2-0 hole in the Eastern Conference finals, with their best player, Isaiah Thomas, ruled out for the remainder of the postseason. Against all odds, they pulled out a 111-108 victory Sunday at Quicken Loans Arena.
Related: Bradley nails dagger 3 to snap Cavs' playoff winning streak
Starting center Al Horford said it meant a lot to take Game 3 versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, especially considering how many people wrote off the Celtics and deemed it a foregone conclusion that the defending champions - who were so far undefeated in the playoffs - would complete their third consecutive sweep.
"It's big," Horford told CSN's Abby Chin following the win. "It's big. A lot of people doubting us out there. Thought we were finished."
Brad Stevens' men rallied back from a deficit that peaked at 21 points, outscoring the Cavs 61-42 in the second half. It was something that can't be found on the box score, though, that willed the team to victory, according to Boston's big free-agent acquisition.
"Heart," Horford said while high-fiving his teammates. "We got heart. This team got heart. We got beat bad but it's all about how you rebound, and we bounced back tonight."
Big Al contributed 16 points, six dimes, two boards, and a steal in the contest. He hopes the club can ride the momentum to even the series Tuesday night at The Q.
The Celtics previously found themselves down 2-0 this postseason in the opening round, and won the next four games to knock out the Chicago Bulls.