The air in the United Center for Game 4 was thick with a strange, conflicting energy. It was part funeral dirge, part last stand. Chicago fans, a proud and passionate bunch, knew the odds were astronomically against them. No team in NBA history had ever come back from a 3-0 deficit. Yet, there was a defiant hope, a belief that their team, backed into the ultimate corner, would at least go down swinging. For the Boston Celtics, the atmosphere was a minefield of complacency. The hardest part was over. The temptation to relax, to already be thinking about the second round, was a silent enemy in every huddle.
Brad Stevens addressed it head-on in the pre-game locker room. He didn't talk about X's and O's. He talked about mentality.
