Joe Mazzulla said a demonstrated message to the Boston former coach Bill Russell, concerning….
One of Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra’s many famous phrases was that the game is “Ninety percent mental. The other half is physical.”
It’s as humourous as it is accurate. And in the case of the Boston Celtics, despite entering the playoffs on the heels of a dominant regular season, going 64-18 and securing home-court advantage throughout their postseason run, adopting the mindset that they’re the hunted puts them on defense.
Even the Tom Brady-era Patriots consistently found ways to convince themselves they were the hunter, finding what allowed them to be the aggressor.
And while the Celtics registered the highest plus-minus rating (11.3), ranked first in offensive rating (122.2), yielded the second-fewest points per 100 possessions (110.6), and had the best net rating (11.7) in the regular season, the playoffs are a different beast.