The Boston Celtics started off their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Cleveland Cavaliers strong taking a 2-0 lead, but last night, they suffered their first defeat. Some of their players believe it was the wake-up call which they needed after a smooth start.

The Celtics lost 116-86 to the Cavaliers at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on Saturday. They still the series 2-1 overall, but they would have much preferred to end the series in four games rather than take it back to Boston to finish it in five.

Jayson Tatum was the top scorer on the night for Boston with 18 points. Terry Rozier added 13 points, but Jaylen Brown only scored just 10 points after averaging 23 in the first two games. For some players, it was a reality check which they needed. 

Rozier believes the Celtics may have been a little bit too content after cruising to a 2-0 series after two games, so they needed a wake-up call to ensure they would win two more games to book their spot in the NBA Finals.

He said to ESPN after the game: "We needed to get our butts whooped. Come back to reality and take care of business on Monday." He later added: "I feel like we needed this to get us back, to get us ready for Monday."

Al Horford backed his teammate's words, but he also wanted to give credit to the Cavaliers for finding a way back into the series.

The Celtics big man said: "It just shows that, when you don't bring it as a team and you don't play the way you're supposed to play, these kind of things can happen. At the same time, you've got to give Cleveland credit. They played better. They were the better team tonight."

As for what served as the catalyst towards the defeat, Horford believes there was a breakdown in the team's defense, and that's something which needs to be mended if they are to have any hopes of winning the series. 

"I can tell you just from right off the top of my head, there was a lot of breakdown defensively for our group. We didn't have that the first two games. It's something that we need to address and be better Monday if we want to have any sort of chance of winning."

Game 4 between the Cavs and Celtics takes place at the Quicken Loans Arena once more in Cleveland on Monday night.

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