How close?
LOS ANGELES — Even for a team with a one-game-at-a-time attitude, it’s hard to ignore the elephant in the room: The Celtics are one win away from an NBA championship.
“Yeah, I can taste it,” said Celtics forward Kevin Garnett. “A little bit. We know we’re 3-1, but the job isn’t finished. But yeah, we seem a little closer, a little closer to the goal.”
Down 20 points with 7:08 remaining in the third quarter, an NBA title didn’t seem close at all for Boston. What seemed inevitable was a 2-2 series, two agonizing off days, and endless questions about whether the Celtics were going to blow it.
Instead, the Celtics’ only worry is getting too confident with a 3-1 lead.
“Right now I’m waiting to exhale,” said Celtics captain Paul Pierce. “I want to go out there to try to win Game 5 on Father’s Day, and then I’ll be able to breathe…I don’t want to get over-excited right now over one win.”
James Posey and Sam Cassell are the only two players on the Celtics roster that have won a title, and Pierce and Garnett are listening to their advice.
“Those guys have won championships,” said Pierce. “They said the close- out game is the hardest game. You thought this game was hard. So hey, I don’t want to get overjoyed.”
The Celtics need only one more win, but they’ll need focus to pull it off.
“I don’t feel it yet,” said Doc Rivers. “Let’s win one first, then I’ll let you know.”
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