Celtics head to Philly for Game 6

BOSTON (WHDH) -- Brandon Bass may have stolen the show in Game 5 Monday night, but the Celtics’ defense was the show stopper -- as in coming up with big stops to disrupt the Sixers rhythm.

“Got into them a little bit more, made it tougher for them to get into their spot. Denied the ball a little bit, rebounded better, and we got them on transition,” Captain Paul Pierce said.

The transformation came in the third quarter.

“There was just a malaise over us on that first half. We didn’t have anything great offensively going, defensively we just weren’t in sync. In the third quarter we just turned the volume up,” said Ray Allen.

The Garden crowd also turned the volume up with the home-court advantage coming to life in the third quarter thanks to the high-energy plays on defense and transition plays on offense.

And if there's a team that feeds off the energy of its home building, it is the Celtics -- just ask Kevin Garnett.

“When I look up I see my family, I see people yelling, I see the drunk fat guy. This crowd is ridiculous,” Kevin Garnett said. “It’s like taking a cold shower, stepping into a freezer that’s below 60.”

And there's no comparing a Celtics crowd to Philly fans.

“Not even close, you got fans, and then you got fair-weather fans. Take it how you want,” Garnett said.