CELTICS: Terry Rozier motivated to improve after rough Game 7

With the season on the line last Sunday night, the third-year point guard missed all 10 of his 3-point attempts had was 2 for 14 overall, scoring four points in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

WALTHAM – He was one of the leading reasons why the shorthanded Celtics were able to reach the Eastern Conference finals.

Terry Rozier stepped into the starting lineup on March 14 to replace injured All-Star guard Kyrie Irving and played the best basketball of his NBA career.

He produced points, hitting from long range, and took care of the ball with very few turnovers.

But there was some inconsistency from the 24-year-old Rozier, and that was evident during the seven-game series loss to the Cavaliers with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line.

After scoring 28 points with six 3-pointers to go with seven assists and just one turnover in 40 minutes during a Game 6 loss, Rozier had a brutal Game 7 last Sunday night when the Celtics were eliminated.

Rozier missed all 10 of his tries from 3-point range and was 2 for 14 overall, scoring just four points in 36 minutes in a game where the Celtics desperately needed offense.

“I had a bad game,’’ said Rozier last Monday after his exit interview with the team’s management. “It (stinks) to go out like that. I’ve always been self-motivated, born with a chip, so I’m going to do the right things this summer, get my body right, get a lot stronger and become better as a point guard.

“I wanted to win as bad as anybody out there. It’s the hometown team I grew up watching (while living in Ohio). I wanted to beat them. Some things don’t go as planned. It just (stinks) because I’m a competitor. We’ll get them next season.’’

Irving played his final game on March 11 and needed two surgical procedures to remove hardware from his left knee.

That put Rozier, who had never started an NBA game before Jan. 31, at the point guard position for the remainder of the Celtics’ run.

During the playoffs, Rozier averaged 36.6 minutes and was among the scoring leaders, getting 16.5 points per game with 5.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds. He averaged only 1.2 turnovers a game and had more than two just once in 19 postseason games while going without any six times.

“Part of being a point guard is just taking care of the ball, putting guys in the right spots, leading your teammates,’’ said Rozier. “I just try to take care of the ball as much as I can. It’s not something that I think about when I’m out there. It’s just something that just happens. It’s just a good stat to have, and I just want to keep building off of it.’’

Celtics coach Brad Stevens had watched the growth of Rozier since his rookie season in 2015-16 and felt he was ready to make a jump, first as a backup to Irving and then as the full-time starter.

“I think we have high expectations for Terry and we think he’s terrific and we think he’s going to get better and better,’’ said Stevens. “But we’re not going to set a ceiling on him. He’s got a chance to be a very, very good player.’’

Rozier will go back to the bench at the start of the 2018-19 season when Irving returns as the starter.

What Rozier when through the final two months of this season will only help him as a member of the second unit on a team that is expected to contend for the NBA title.

“We’re all looking to come back and have a heckuva season next year,’’ said Rozier. “We’ve got one goal and that’s it.

“Coming back next year is going to be a lot of fun, a lot of fun practices, a fun training camp. Kyrie Irving is Kyrie Irivng. I’ll never take anything away from that. I’ll never go out and try to step on someone’s toes. But I’m going to challenge him every day. That’s going to be a lot of fun.

“I’m going to pick his brain every day like I did as much as I could this year. I’m looking to make him work and I know he’ll make me work.’’

The experience of being a starter for the first time since he was at Louisville was an overall positive one, but Rozier will be motivated by what happened in Game 7 as well as Game 5 when he was 3 for 15 in a win over the Cavaliers.

“I grew a lot,’’ said Rozier. “It was an opportunity for me, I feel like. I live my life knowing life is all about opportunities and you’ve got to make the best of it. I had so much fun. These guys, it’s a great team, great locker room, great coaching staff, great organization. I wouldn’t want to do it nowhere else.

“(But) one game and I didn’t play the way I wanted to play. I’ll probably need a couple of days and I’ll be all right. It’s just part of the game. You make six 3s and then go 0 for 10. That (stinks). But I’m one of those guys, I’m going to shoot until my hand falls off. I don’t really care. It just (stinks) it had to happen in the last game of the season.

“My confidence is sky high. I still have no doubt or no fear. I’ll get better this summer. Shooting is always something I can get better at. I’ll get better and more consistent. I don’t care if I’m 0 for 10. I’ll shoot 12 the next game.’’