The Boston Celtics’ pivotal game of the season thus far was likely Saturday’s Game 3 over the Miami Heat. 

After all, they had already lost Game 2 at TD Garden on Wednesday, giving up home-court advantage to the Heat, and another defeat would sink Boston to a 1-2 series deficit.

In order to defuse tensions under the high stakes, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown spoke to the team in huddle about unity and stability.

“Make the proper play,” said Brown. For the entire season, we have been putting a lot of effort into this. 

In these times, just take a deep breath, unwind, focus on the game, have faith in your teammates and in one another, and then proceed with our current course of action. We support one another when it comes to our fight against the outside world.

After scoring 22 points on 11 of 20 field goals, Brown tied Jayson Tatum for the most points scored by a Celtic in Game 3.

In addition to his scoring contributions, the 27-year-old had a significant impact on the game as he filled the stat sheet against Miami with eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block.

The 27-year-old’s all-around performance was largely responsible for the Celtics’ 20-point victory in Game 3 that gave them a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. 

In this replay of the Eastern Conference Finals from 2023, Boston’s victory in Game 3 was the team’s second straight victory against the Heat by 20 points.

If Brown and the Celtics defeat Miami in Game 4 on Monday, they will have a chance to extend their advantage in the series to 3-1. 95.4 percent of the time, NBA teams that are up 3-1 in a postseason series go on to win.