BOSTON — Jrue Holiday , who rarely gives referees an earful, couldn’t believe the shot clock violation against the Boston Celtics . As he and Joe Mazzulla animatedly informed the officiating crew that Holiday’s shot actually hit the rim, referee Tony Brothers called a technical foul on the Boston bench. Instead of receiving an extra possession, because Holiday would have grabbed his own offensive rebound, the Celtics lost the ball and watched as the Bucks used their technical free throw to take a one-point lead.
Advertisement A lesser team might have unraveled. The Celtics responded immediately with an 18-2 run. “Just chaos,” Mazzulla said after the Celtics moved to 4-0, completing a 119-108 win.
“Yeah. It’s perfect. It’s exactly what we needed.
” Some might say the Celtics showed championship poise during that game-changing stretch. Though it would be impossible to prove exactly how a title impacts a team in the seasons to come, Doc Rivers believes the Celtics unlocked a better version of themselves by winning the Larry O’Brien trophy. Calling them “a made basketball team now,” Rivers said their transformation is evident on the court.
He believes they play “without any obstacles now” in the aftermath of the current core’s first ring. “Winning that title, it’s taken them to another level,” Rivers said. “And you can feel it when they play.
” Has capturing a championship actually lifted the Celtics? Al Horford and Derrick White said they ag.
