May 16

OKC107
DEN119
Final

May 17

BOS81
NYK119
Final

May 18

DEN50-32
OKC68-14
ABC @7:30 PM UTC

May 22

IND50-32
NYK51-31
TNT @12:00 AM UTC

Should VanVleet's bold statement after Game 3 worry the Celtics?

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Jaylen Brown talks about the miscommunication between the Celtics on the final play that led to a Raptors game-winner

The final seconds of Thursday's Celtics-Raptors Game 3 inspired f-bombs on both sides.

Boston's Jaylen Brown lamented the "f---ing disgrace" that led to Toronto's OG Anunoby hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds remaining to give the Raptors a 104-103 win.

Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, meanwhile, saw the sequence as exactly what Toronto needed to get back into the second-round series after trailing 2-0.

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According to The Athletic's Sam Amick, VanFleet passed Raptors president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster in the hallway after finishing his on-court interview and delivered a strong message indirectly aimed at Boston.

"They f---ed up," VanVleet told Ujiri and Webster, per Amick. "They f---ed up now."

Translation: The Celtics let the Raptors off the hook by letting them win Game 3, and Toronto fully intends to make them pay.

VanVleet's confidence after such an incredible win isn't surprising. A loss would have dug the Raptors a 3-0 series hole that no NBA team has ever climbed out of; instead, Toronto can tie the series Saturday with a win in Game 4.

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That said, the Celtics still have been the better team in this series, and the Raptors needed a miracle to beat Boston for the first time since December.

It sounds like Game 3 gave Toronto new life, though, and it will be up to the Celtics to prove VanVleet wrong Saturday.

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