CLEVELAND — The Celtics have had little trouble this year ensuring that one bad night does not turn into an unexpected avalanche. But the margin for error is smaller in the playoffs. If that one bad week finally arrives, it could ultimately lead to a sudden end.
After Boston lost Game 2 of these Eastern Conference semifinals to the Cavaliers, forward Jaylen Brown made it clear he was not pleased with his team’s level of effort or intensity. And after a somewhat fiery rebuke, he shifted his attention to helping everyone refocus.
“We’ve got enough talent in the locker room to beat teams,” Brown said. “But if we’re not on the same page and we’re not playing hard, that’s when we get ourselves in trouble. So before the game at film and shootaround, [I was] talking to everybody, touching everybody, letting everybody know that, ‘Hey, we’re not here to play around. We didn’t come to Cleveland for the weather, so let’s go.’”
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Brown knew he could truly make his message resonate by setting the standard himself. So he took the floor in front of a rowdy and hungry and revved-up crowd and controlled every step in Boston’s 106-93 win that gave it a 2-1 series lead.
Brown said he watched film of Game 2 and realized his decision-making had been imperfect. There were times he turned down good shots to drive into traffic, or took contested shots when there was a lane to drive. In Game 3 he played with more purpose, connecting on 13 of 17 shots and scoring 28 points.
On defense, he helped guide a unit that held its opponent under 100 points for the fifth time in six games. He urged Jrue Holiday to keep up his aggressive defense on Cavs star Donovan Mitchell and also said he would happily step in to help if the wear from that challenging assignment started to show.
“[He was] talking to us defensively where, especially down the stretch, ‘No 3s, rebound the ball,’” Holiday said. “He’s sitting there yelling at us, so just being the leader that he is.”
Jayson Tatum’s night was less efficient but probably just as important. The All-Star has had an uneven postseason and criticism of his play had mounted in recent days.
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On Saturday, Tatum was 2 for 8 from the 3-point line and he committed five turnovers, but he was aggressive and impactful. His final stat line of 33 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists was more like those Celtics fans are accustomed to witnessing.
“The points, like I said, they’ll come and go,” Tatum said, “but I think just the poise and the purpose that we came and played with tonight in a great environment—this was fun to be a part of—so that was my main focus is, just make sure we win this game.”
The Celtics regained homecourt advantage in this series just as swiftly as they surrendered it two nights earlier. It will be hard to tell how important that is until their postseason struggles at TD Garden are fixed. But it also might not matter, because they have won five playoff road games in a row dating back to last season.
In the first round, they bounced back from a Game 2 loss to the Heat by storming to consecutive wins in Miami. Now, they’ll have a chance to take full control of this semifinal in Game 4 here Monday night.
On Saturday, the Celtics raced to an early lead behind Holiday’s powerful first half. The former All-Star has willingly accepted a reduced offensive role all season while constantly being asked to be the team’s defensive backbone. In this game, he wanted to be more aggressive at the start because he believed it might help wear down his defender, Mitchell, who has been the most consistently dominant player in this series.
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So Holiday stayed in motion and backed down Mitchell for post chances whenever there was an opportunity. With six minutes left in the second quarter he had already tallied 15 points, more than he had in any game since Boston’s March 12 win against the Suns.
“Jrue is a dog,” Brown said, in the most complimentary way possible. “Can’t speak highly enough about Jrue, just how he came and dominated on both sides of the ball and just made timely baskets. That’s the Jrue Holiday that we know and love and played against [in Milwaukee]. Tonight was just a master class from Jrue. What a game from him.”
Holiday finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. His strong opening half helped stake the Celtics to a 57-48 lead at the break. In the locker room, players were both cautious and motivated, with Tatum and Brown making their voices heard.
Brown reminded the Celtics of their game here earlier this season when they coughed up a 22-point fourth-quarter lead. Tatum challenged his teammates to start the third quarter with a new level of urgency.
“Can we come out like our back is against the wall?” he recounted later. “Can we make them call the first timeout? Can we come on like we’re down nine?”
Then the Celtics started the third quarter by blitzing the Cavs with a 14-0 run that gave them a 23-point lead. Cleveland chipped away behind Mitchell (33 points) and pulled within nine three times, but it could get no closer. The Celtics had once again steadied themselves with one strong night, and their championship pursuit could continue.
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Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.