Report: Celtics' Grousbeck Told BOS to Play with 'Some Balls' amid 0-3 Heat Deficit

Boston Celtics managing partner Wyc Grousbeck reportedly gave the team a fiery speech after it fell behind 3-0 to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

According to Jay King and Jared Weiss of The Athletic, sources said Grousbeck stormed into the locker room following the Celtics' 128-102 road loss to Miami in Game 3 and implored the players to "play with some balls."

The Celtics came close to becoming the first team in NBA playoff history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit, but they fell 103-84 at home in Game 7 on Monday, sending the Heat to the NBA Finals.

Celtics forward Blake Griffin confirmed Grousbeck spoke to the team after Game 3, but did not reveal the exact contents of the discussion, saying: "[Grousbeck] was right, but we shouldn't need that. As soon as we got to the locker room, we were just so frustrated."

After reaching the NBA Finals last season and finishing second in the Eastern Conference this season with a record of 57-25, the Celtics were considered strong candidates to go the distance again.

With Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, Al Horford, Robert Williams III and Marcus Smart all playing pivotal roles, it can be argued that Boston has the deepest roster in the league.

While that may be true, Miami proved it belongs in the conversation, too, as unheralded players such as Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, Duncan Robinson and Max Strus played huge roles in the conference finals and came through even when stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo struggled.

After getting run off the court in Game 3, the Celtics seemed dead in the water, but they showed plenty of grit and mettle over the next three games, potentially in response to Grousbeck's speech.

Boston won Game 4 116-99 and Game 5 110-97 before pulling off one of the most dramatic wins in playoff history in Game 6.

After Butler hit three free throws to put Miami ahead with three seconds remaining, White scored on a putback at the buzzer, allowing Boston to steal Game 6 and send the series back to Beantown for a pivotal Game 7.

The Celtics had all of the momentum entering Game 7, but they seemingly had little left in the tank and were steamrolled by Miami.

One contributing factor may have been the fact that Tatum suffered an ankle injury early in the game and clearly wasn't his usual self, finishing with just 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting.

Although the season came to a disappointing end for the Celtics, they should still be top contenders next season, as Tatum, Brown, White, Brogdon, Horford, Williams and Smart all remain under contract.