Eddie House has a strong message to the Celtics heading into elimination game in Philadelphia.
The Boston Celtics were favored to win the 2023 NBA championship after falling just short last summer. But suddenly, they find themselves on the brink of elimination in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series vs. the Philadelphia 76ers.
They were outclassed by the Sixers in Tuesday night's Game 5 at TD Garden. Philly was superior on both ends of the floor and, worst of all, looked like the hungrier team in its 115-103 victory.
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Now, the C's will need to win Thursday at Wells Fargo Center and Sunday in Boston to keep their NBA Finals hopes alive. There shouldn't be any need for external motivation, but our Eddie House shared the strong speech he would deliver to the team if he was their coach heading into the must-win matchup.
"All summer, you festered on a Finals loss," House said on Arbella Early Edition. "We have been getting our ass kicked the last two games. One thing we cannot do is lose by somebody else playing with more effort. Playing with more passion. We got booed by our home fans. That is not what Celtic basketball is about. You've got everybody that's been here before that understands what it's like to put on this Celtics uniform. It's about playing hard. It's about diving on the floor for loose balls. It's not about just thinking that it's easy. It's never going to be easy.
"But we cannot lose a basketball game by getting outworked. Right now, Philadelphia is outworking us. They're playing harder than us. Some of us got to take the personal challenge. If you don't want to take the personal challenge, you'll be sitting over here next to me, and I will find somebody who will be out there that is willing and ready to put it all on the line to win the game. Because it's win or go home. And if we go home, it's a failure, and some of y'all are not going to have Celtics uniforms on next year."
House's message should resonate with the C's, especially given Marcus Smart's comments after Game 5. The veteran point guard admitted "the energy wasn't right" and stated the team has to be ready for a "dogfight" in Game 6. Anything less than maximum effort will be unacceptable.
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Celtics-Sixers Game 6 is set for a 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday. You can get ready for the action with Celtics Pregame Live right here on NBC Sports Boston at 6:30 p.m.