After defeating the New York Knicks, the high-spirited Boston Celtics boarded their charter flight to New York with a 2–0 series lead.
When the plane arrived in New York, they were greeted not by friendliness and applause, but by the hostile "warm welcome" of New York fans.
The veteran Boston Celtics players were already used to such scenes, but the team's two rookies—Tim Hardaway Jr. and Giannis Antetokounmpo—were genuinely startled.
Goodwin keenly noticed the two rookies' unease and quickly signaled Tony Allen and Marc Gasol with his eyes.
The two immediately understood what Goodwin meant and, in perfect tacit agreement, headed toward Tim Hardaway Jr. and Giannis Antetokounmpo respectively.
Tony Allen walked over to Tim Hardaway Jr., patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Hey, kid, don't let those boos get to you. We all went through this. It's just part of the game. As long as you focus on what happens on the court, those sounds will fade into the background."
On the other side, Marc Gasol smiled at Giannis Antetokounmpo. "Don't mind them. The more they act like this, the more it proves we played well enough to scare them. Focus on how to win the game. Nothing else matters."
With Tony Allen and Marc Gasol patiently talking them through it, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Giannis Antetokounmpo gradually calmed down, and the tension on their faces slowly faded.
After arriving at the hotel reserved by the team, Goodwin specifically sought out Coach Jack and reminded him, "Coach, I think we should arrange for veteran players to stay with those two rookies tonight. Otherwise, in their current state, they might toss and turn all night over what happened today and be unable to sleep, which could affect their performance tomorrow."
Upon hearing Goodwin's suggestion, Coach Jack was briefly taken