The Boston Celtics forced a Game 7 in their Western Conference semifinals series against the Philadelphia 76ers with a win on Thursday night, and Jaylen Brown sent a strong message to fans after the victory.
With Game 7 being held in Boston, Brown challenged Celtics fans to be “ready to go.” The two-time All-Star said he has not been thrilled with the atmosphere at TD Garden this postseason.
“Energy in the Garden has been OK at best in the playoffs,” Brown told reporters. “I’m calling you guys out. Let’s make sure the Garden is ready to go. … When the Garden gets going there’s nothing like it.”
The Celtics have played three home games in their series against Philly. They only played well in one of them, which was a dominant 121-87 win in Game 2. Boston was torched by James Harden while MVP Joel Embiid sat on the bench in Game 1. The Celtics then looked completely disorganized and were dominated in Game 5 on Tuesday night.
Had the Celtics played better in those games, the crowd would have been a lot more into it. Brown should know better than to use the fans as an excuse for the team’s uninspiring play, though he does have a bit of a complicated relationship with the fans in Boston.
With Game 7 being a win-or-go-home contest, we would expect Celtics fans to show plenty of energy on Sunday.
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