Celtics

Celtics reportedly got their ‘chemistry back’ during team outing at Topgolf

The Celtics reportedly smoothed things over at Topgolf after Game 3.

A meeting at Topgolf has reportedly helped the Celtics. Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

May 27, 2023

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Feeling confused and frustrated after a blowout loss to Miami in Game 3, the Celtics met at Topgolf according to ESPN’s Ros Gold-Onwude.

Marcus Smart said the event helped lift the team’s spirits, he told Gold-Onwude.

“He credited a team event at Topgolf Miami, where he said it was just the guys,” Gold-Onwude tweeted. “‘Whole team coming together to release the negative energy and get the chemistry back.’ Marcus told me the message shared between the players at Topgolf was clear, “trust each other, believe in each other, if we’re gonna do something special and try this comeback- we’re gonna have to believe in each other.”

The Celtics, who were down 0-3 after Game 3, are riding a two-game winning streak into Game 6. They appear to have regained their defensive identity, which Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said was lost earlier in the series. In back-to-back games, the Celtics have held the Heat under 100 points.

From ECF, reporting on #Celtics: After Game 3 and down 0-3, Marcus Smart told me the team was confused and frustrated. He credited a team event at Topgolf Miami, where he said it was just the guys, “whole team coming together to release the negative energy and get the chemistry…
— Ros Gold-Onwude (@ROSGO21) May 27, 2023

Mazzulla also mentioned a speech from assistant coach Matt Reynolds as a turning point in the series.

“One of our assistants put it in great perspective,” Mazzulla said after Game 5. “The seasons are like nine months long, and we just had a bad week. Sometimes you have a bad week at work. We obviously didn’t pick the best time to have a bad week, but we did, and we’re sticking together and fighting like hell to keep it alive, and the guys are really coming together.”

If the Celtics win Saturday night in Game 6, they’ll force a decisive Game 7 at TD Garden where they’ll have a shot at becoming the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs.