What Xavier Tillman said about his game-winner against the Kings
"It was pretty cool, especially for us to really battle with them coming back and have that mental fortitude to not give into it and stay solid mentally."
Xavier Tillman made the go-ahead basket of the Celtics’ 101-100 victory over the Kings Friday night. He hit a floater with 7.4 seconds to go, and the Celtics hung on for the win after blowing a double-digit lead.
“I think Sam (Hauser) was driving for him to get the game-winning shot,” Tillman said. “Somebody came over, maybe (Keegan) Murray, and blocked the shot. But then, Sam got the steal, tipped it out to me, I caught it and saw that the paint was open. Did a crossover move, then I stepped up and shot the float.”
Tillman said he knew the shot was good as soon as it left his hand. It was his first game-winning basket since he was in college, he said.
“I think it was in Illinois my junior season (at Michigan State),” Tillman said. “I had a tip dunk for the game-winner.”
The Celtics kept a lineup completely comprised of reserves to close out the game. Tillman said it was nice seeing the Celtics get the job done anyway.
“It was pretty cool, especially for us to really battle with them coming back and have that mental fortitude to not give into it and stay solid mentally,” Tillman said. “Everybody kept their composure and stuff like that. Shoutout to Payton (Pritchard), he was holding us down with that and talking with us and keeping us cool, calm, and relaxed.”
Tillman said he enjoyed seeing his teammates’ reactions when he hit the shot. The Celtics have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs, but they still got hyped for the win.
“It was sweet, especially because like you said we’re not necessarily playing for anything anymore since we’re already solidified,” Tillman said. “So, for them to still be excited about that, that was pretty cool. “
Tillman said Joe Mazzulla’s style of coaching hard until the end and putting reserves in meaningful situations helps them stay engaged.
“He’s the ultimate competitor, so that makes it easy for us to know that there’s one job out there and that’s to win,” Tillman said. “However you can impact the game, that’s your job. So, it makes it easier when you have a coach that no matter what just wants to win. You’ve just got to find your role within that and how you help the team.”
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