PHILADELPHIA – These are different times for Terry Rozier, a player who began the season with lots of questions and who may have become the answer to the Celtics' cavernous void left by injuries to All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.
Well, Rozier has been up to the challenge when playing in front of the Rozier-friendly confines of the TD Garden.
For many, to see him star on that stage is indeed progress.
But Rozier has big dreams, big goals in life.
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And he knows for them to come true, the way he has been ballin’ out in Boston has to travel better than we’ve seen thus far.
The Sixers will indeed be a fired up bunch for tonight’s Game 3, one that they certainly know is a must-win game.
Boston Celtics
And for the Celtics, it’s more of a must-show-up-and-ball-out night for many – Rozier chief among them.
Boston has been winning by committee thus far in the postseason, but there’s no denying the impact that Rozier has had – especially at home.
At the TD Garden, he has averaged 22.8 points per game on 50.5 percent shooting from the field and 54.3 percent shooting from 3-point range.
It’s an entirely different story for Scary Terry on the road, where he has averaged 11.7 points on 27.8 percent shooting from the field and a woeful 25.9 percent on 3’s.
Rozier is well aware that there has been a huge discrepancy in his production at home vs. the road. It's something he’s intent on changing tonight.
While some might wonder why he hasn’t produced at a higher rate on the road, there are a couple things you have to keep in mind.
Rozier is only 24 and this is his first foray into playing consistent, high-pressure minutes, where his play will be scrutinized as much as it has been.
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“It’s an adjustment,” Rozier told NBC Sports Boston. “But this is what you play for, this is what you want, to be counted on by your teammates. It’s no pressure because this is what you want.”
And for Rozier, what he’s seeking is to leave Philadelphia with at least one win on their floor, which would position the Celtics to return to the Eastern Conference finals for the second year in a row.
For Rozier, the idea of returning to the Eastern Conference finals is cool, but he’s not giving that any thought right now.
He’s locked in on getting past the Sixers, knowing his play will go far in making that dream into a reality.
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“We just need to control what we can control,” he said. “Be the harder-playing team and bring the fight to them.”