What to expect from the Celtics for the rest of the NBA Finals

The Celtics are tied in the with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals after losing Game 2 in San Francisco 107-88. The team returns to Boston this week with one win and a split series ahead of Games 3 and 4. GBH reporter Esteban Bustillos joined hosts Paris Alston and Jeremy Siegel on GBH’s Morning Edition to discuss Sunday night's game, and what we can expect from the team going forward. This transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

Paris Alston: So we're upset about that loss. And you know, I have to tell you, Esteban, I always say that I don't watch because they lose when I watch. But it wasn't my fault last night, I was asleep. So I don't know what was going on. But the good news is that the C’s are coming back to Boston with one win and a split series. How important was it for them to get that first win out on the road in Game 1?

Esteban Bustillos: I think it was incredibly important, very shocking. I thought if they wanted to win the series or if they wanted to have at least a chance to win the series, they would need to win at least one game in Golden State — preferably one of those first two. I did not think they would win Game 1. I did not think they were going to win Game 1 the way they did, blowing out Golden State in the fourth quarter. So even with the Celtics dropping the ball in Game 2, they put themselves in a good spot. And with two straight games here at TD Garden, we'll see what happens.

Jeremy Siegel: So we're going to have to talk a bit about Game 2 at some point, but I'm just going to pretend it didn't exist for now. Let's go straight to Game 3. What do you expect to see from the team now that they're going to be home at TD Garden — is there a home court advantage here?

Bustillos: I think it's interesting. Yes, the team talked about how excited they are to be back at home at TD Garden. One thing that was interesting, though, Jayson Tatum said on Sunday that the team has had some struggles even at home throughout the playoffs. And basically he was saying, "Hey, we need to watch out for that when we come back." And here's Tatum talking about that actually last night.

[previously recorded]

Jayson Tatum: I feel like recently we kind of relaxed at home — whether we thought because we had home court advantage, we came out a little more relaxed. So just having a sense of urgency, knowing that we're at home, but you know, that we need to play better at home.

[recording ends]

Alston: So speaking of Jayson Tatum, he's been sort of underperforming in the series. On Sunday his plus-minus was -36. And so this is a statistic that measures the impact of a player's contributions to a team's performance, depending on whether they're on or off the floor. And this is actually the worst plus-minus he's had — the worst in NBA Finals history — just beating out Kobe Bryant in 2008. And he also had a low scoring run in Game 1. So what's going on with him? Is the spotlight a little bit too much pressure for him?

Bustillos: I wouldn't necessarily say it's too much pressure. Game 1, he only scored 12, but he had 13 assists, so when you put it all together, he was responsible for at least 30-something points, at least in Game 1. Game 2, he had a tough game, although he did end up still scoring 28 points. So even on a bad night, he's putting up 38, although he had at least four turnovers.

So I think I would expect for him to iron out his game, especially at home. I don't think we're going to see him consistently struggle throughout the series. He is a star, all-NBA first team. The Celtics know it. Golden State knows that they’re keying on him on defense. So I would expect them to keep coming at him, but I would also expect him to iron out his mistakes. And I think we're going to see a couple of good games with him, at least sometimes.

Siegel: Esteban, hearing you and Paris talk about those stats, I'm probably embarrassing myself here, but I had no idea what a plus-minus was until this morning. I had never heard of that stat. Let's talk about something that I definitely understand as maybe not someone who is always following basketball — the fans. The city has been throwing viewing parties near Faneuil Hall. You've been going to those — what are they like? What's the mood been like, what was that first game like, and then how did the fans take the loss?

Alston: Oh, Boston fans never take a loss well.

Bustillos: Unfortunately, I couldn't go to last night’s viewing party. But being there for the viewing party in Game 1, it was very festival-like — people were just excited to see the Celtics come back.

And again, all it is, is they're essentially watching TV together. So those will happen. I do expect that when the Celtics come here for Games 3 or 4, the energy is going to be even higher.

Alston: What do the C's need to do to turn it around for Game 3? And do you think they can do it?

Bustillos: I think they can do it. The one big area that has been pointed out is turnovers. Last night they had 19 total turnovers for 33 points. And here you can hear coach Ime Udoka actually talk about just how much that hampered them in Sunday’s game.

[previously recorded]

Ime Udoka: There’s been an ongoing theme in the playoffs, so far at times. Turn over the ball, make teams, take teams out of scoring against us in halfcourt. Give them some baskets.

[recording ends]

Siegel: I don't want to jinx anything here Esteban, but it's been a long time since since Boston has had a win in the NBA Finals. You had this great story about Marcus Smart's history. What would a win in the finals mean for the team, and the players here?

Bustillos: Obviously for this core group, it would be a huge win. Before this, they had been at Eastern Conference three times and they had never gotten over that hump. So just for them to be here is an accomplishment. Obviously, a win would be a huge stamp on their legacy. I think for the city as a whole, it would be a big boost post-COVID — the city's first championship, and the Celtics 18th banner. So there's a lot on the line for both the team and I think the city as a whole.