CLEVELAND -- Let's just get this out of the way: the answer is no.
No, the Celtics will not duplicate their performance in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, when they shocked the Cavaliers by rallying from a 21-point deficit to win at the buzzer on Avery Bradley's 3-pointer.
That game, played without All-Star Isaiah Thomas, looks like the outlier. Hopefully it gives the Celtics some measure of satisfaction when their offseason begins, presumably on Thursday at the Garden. There's certainly no shame in that.
It's tempting to wonder if the Celtics somehow cracked the code of the Cavs, but the reality is they got red-hot, Cleveland went ice-cold, and the C's stole a game they had no business winning.