The Celtics endured a nightmarish outing against the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. Terry Rozier, who has had an excellent playoffs so far, had a rough go of it. It took him 12 shots to score 13 points and he was generally not a factor for most of the evening.

His outing really summed up Boston's night. The offense never got into a rhythm and the Cavs just poured on points on the other side of the court. Fortunately for the Celtics, Rozier seems to think that the Game 3 loss to Cleveland was actually a good thing for his team. Via NBC Sports Boston:

I feel like we needed this (loss) to get us back … to get us ready for Monday," Rozier said. 

Rozier later added, "We needed to get our butts whipped. Come back to reality and take care of business on Monday."

Rozier's comments somewhat echo that of Celtics coach Brad Stevens. After the loss, Stevens hinted at a potential lineup change and said that no one is playing up to the level he needs them to be at.

Hearing comments like this after just a single loss is interesting. The Celtics surprised everyone in the league by taking Games 1 and 2, but they've maintained that they aren't playing their best right now despite the two wins. Any changes after Game 3 will feel like adjustments that have been long overdue instead of a one game overreaction.

We'll have to see if Rozier is right. Maybe the Celtics did need a wake-up call in the form of a loss. Depending on how Boston responds, Game 3 could turn out to be one of those games that showed the Celtics their weaknesses and gave them a chance to adjust. It's much easier to do that after a loss than a win.