The Celtics' Sins of Game 3 and What the Road to Redemption Looks Like

Officiating was a big topic of discussion after Boston's Game 3 loss, but the Celtics' focus has to be on the bigger picture now which is to figure out a way to win Game 4.

MILWAUKEE – In the aftermath of Boston’s 103-101 Game 3 loss to Milwaukee, there was a lot of chatter from both teams about - yup, you got it! - officiating.

And after the NBA released the two-minute report, you can understand why with there being five incorrect non-calls made by the officiating crew in the last two minutes of play.

But as much as Celtics Nation wants to lean on that all-too reliable crutch better known as crappy officiating, that was not the great sin committed in their Game 3 loss.

The bigger issue was that the Celtics played so poorly that the game’s outcome fell into the hands of the officials who, like the Celtics, didn’t exactly have their best stuff for most of this game.

And that has to be the focus for the Celtics moving forward.

Following the loss, Jaylen Brown was among the Celtics peppered with questions about the officiating because even to the naked eye, there were more than a few questionable calls/non-calls against both teams.

“Some calls didn’t go our way,” Brown said. “Obviously, we’re upset about that. But it’s over now; move on.”

A big part of that moving on process, is not allowing what happened in Game 3 to seep into their focus and attention towards Game 4.

Coming into this two-game set in Milwaukee, the goal was to get at least one win but preferably two. So for Boston, there’s still hope that the main goal this weekend, to win one game, is very much alive and well with Game 4 on Monday.

At this point, so much attention will focus on Jayson Tatum’s struggles in Game 3 (10 points on 4-for-19 shooting with just one rebound) and whether he can bounce back in Game 4.

But the real challenge is Tatum and the rest of the Celtics, playing more like a team that understands how to win on the road against a quality opponent.

Of course, the challenge is greater when you’re talking about beating the Bucks who are the reigning NBA champions.

Despite bringing back the bulk of their core from last year’s title team, they have been among the top-tier squads that hasn’t gotten much fanfare or attention - similar to what we saw a year ago when they made their run towards being a champion.

So coming into this, the Celtics knew that there would be some moments of adversity, where the tight-knit mantra that they have portrayed themselves to be, would be put to the test.

That time is now.

Because as important as it will be for Tatum to look more like “Top-5” Tatum in this series, their success at the highest levels this season was never about one guy or one pack of players.

Boston’s success is predicated on the ability to elevate as single-minded unit at both ends of the floor. And when things get tight in the latter stages of play, they will approach those periods with a “refuse to lose” mindset.

And doing that for a longer stretch than a few minutes in the fourth quarter is what has to happen if Boston is to even up this best-of-seven series and not allow it to become a game heavily influenced by officiating.