BOSTON — When the Celtics were down 19 points going into halftime, there was some grumbling coming from the TD Garden faithful. The C’s played arguably their worst half of the season, so the complaints weren’t exactly surprising.
But as the Celtics put together their comeback effort in the second half, the Garden crowd exploded. While the C’s had to put together a huge effort to beat the Pistons in overtime, that’s what happens in the NBA. And Kristaps Porzingis credited the Celtics fans who showed up Thursday.
“The crowd tonight was unbelievable,” Porzingis said. “I love the contrast, especially the atmosphere from the first to second half. And I think the best part about it is it’s not as much maybe about us making the shots, but us playing hard. That’s what the fans appreciate and that was really cool to see.”
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The Celtics were far from perfect against a desperate Pistons squad that had lost 27 straight games. Detroit built up a 21-point lead in the first half, which is why the Celtics fans grew restless and nervous. But the C’s regrouped in the second half quickly as coach Joe Mazzulla said they were given an opportunity to show off some mental toughness.
While everyone expected a blowout Celtics victory, Thursday was another data point that unexpected results happen at times in the league. One-game sample sizes tend to have that happen as the Pistons made shots in the first half, and they also crashed the offensive glass often. Cade Cunningham impressed early as he led the charge against the Celtics.
But, importantly, the Celtics showed off their meddle facing the pesky Pistons. They won’t always be able to out-talent their opponents, which was the case Thursday. So the Celtics upped their intensity and play as the comeback started from their effort level. In turn, Celtics fans were more than happy to cheer on their squad.
“I think we all just kind of looked at each other and Joe came in and we knew without words being said,” Porzingis said of halftime. “We knew we would have to come out with a different kind of mindset, different kind of energy in the second and have each other’s back and trust each other. And I think Joe said the right words for us and that was it. Came out looking like a different team.”
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