The phrase didn't start in a boardroom. It wasn't the product of a marketing agency trying to sell sneakers or a social media manager looking for engagement. It started as a warning. When Kevin Millar uttered a similar sentiment for the 2004 Red Sox, it was about baseball. But when the 2023 Boston Celtics found themselves down 3-0 to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, Jaylen Brown brought it back to life. "Don't let us get one," he said. He wasn't joking.
It’s a terrifying thought for any frontrunner. You’ve worked hard. You’ve built a lead that seems insurmountable. 3-0 is supposed to be the end of the road. Statistically, it basically is. No team in NBA history has ever fully climbed that mountain after trailing three games to zero. But the "don't let us get one" mentality isn't about the math. It is about the psychological shift that happens when a Goliath starts to bleed.
The Anatomy of a Collapse
Basketball is a game of runs, sure. But playoffs are a game of momentum. When a team is up 3-0, they start thinking about the Finals. They start thinking about where they’re going to go on vacation or how the trophy will look in the glass case. The trailing team? They have nothing. They are playing for pride. Honestly, that makes them the most dangerous entity on the hardwood.
Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart knew exactly what they were doing when they started repeating that mantra. They were planting a seed of doubt in the Miami Heat’s locker room. It worked, for a while. The Celtics actually clawed back to tie the series at 3-3. They forced a Game 7. That is the power of the "don't let us get one" philosophy. It turns a blowout into a dogfight.
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Why the Math Supports the Fear
Let's look at the actual numbers because they're kinda wild. Before that 2023 series, NBA teams down 0-3 were 0-149. Nobody had ever done it. After the Celtics forced that Game 7, the record "improved" to 0-150, but the fear was solidified.
Why? Because of the "Gentleman’s Sweep" reversal. Usually, the leading team lets their guard down in Game 4. They’re tired. They want to go home and close it out in front of their own fans. If they lose Game 4, the pressure shifts. Suddenly, Game 5 is a "must-win" for the team that was just dominating. If they lose that? Now it’s 3-2. The whispers start. The media starts talking about "the first time in history."
By the time Game 6 rolls around, the team that was up 3-0 is playing tight. Their shots don't fall. They’re looking at the clock. They’re playing not to lose, while the other team is playing to win. It’s a massive distinction.
The Psychological Warfare of Don't Let Us Get One
If you’ve ever played competitive sports, you know the feeling. It’s that knot in your stomach when a lead starts to evaporate. You can’t buy a bucket. The rim looks like a thimble.
The "don't let us get one" mindset is a form of verbal manifestation. It’s about taking control of the narrative. Instead of the media saying "The Celtics are about to get swept," the narrative becomes "The Heat are about to let them back in."
Erik Spoelstra, one of the greatest coaches to ever whistle a play, had to manage this in real-time. He saw his team—led by a relentless Jimmy Butler—start to stumble. It wasn't because they forgot how to play basketball. It was because the pressure of "what if we are the first to blow this" became heavier than the physical task of guarding Jayson Tatum.
Legends Who Fed the Fire
This isn't just a Boston thing. Think about LeBron James in 2016. He wasn't down 3-0, but 3-1 is close enough in terms of hopelessness. Against a 73-win Warriors team, the Cavs were dead in the water. But LeBron knew. He knew if he could just steal one on the road, the vibe would shift.
- 2016 NBA Finals: Cavs down 3-1. They get one. Then another. Then Draymond gets suspended. The momentum is a freight train.
- 2004 ALCS: Red Sox down 3-0 to the Yankees. Dave Roberts steals a base. They get one. The "Curse of the Bambino" starts to look like a minor inconvenience.
- 2023 ECF: Celtics down 3-0. They get three. Derrick White hits a buzzer-beater in Game 6 that felt like a movie script.
The Technical Breakdown: How it Actually Happens
When a team says "don't let us get one," they usually change their tactical approach. They stop playing "correct" basketball and start playing "disruptive" basketball.
- Zone Defenses: Teams down big often switch to a zone to muck up the rhythm. It forces the leader to think instead of react.
- Shortened Rotations: Coaches stop being "fair" with minutes. If you’re the star, you’re playing 46 minutes. Period.
- Physicality: The trailing team starts fouling harder. They want to remind the frontrunner that winning a championship is supposed to hurt.
In the 2023 series, Joe Mazzulla—who was getting crushed by the media at the time—basically told his team to stop worrying about the series and start worrying about the next six minutes. That’s the micro-goal. You don't win four games at once. You win a quarter. Then you win a half. Then you win a game. Then you look up and the series is tied.
Is the Mantra Overused?
Probably. In the age of TikTok and Instagram, every team down 2-0 starts posting "don't let us get one" graphics. It’s becoming a bit of a cliché. Honestly, it only works if you actually have the talent to back it up. A lottery team saying it to the defending champs is just noise. But when two elite teams are playing, and one gets caught sleeping? It’s a real threat.
The reality is that "getting one" provides a proof of concept. It proves that the opponent isn't invincible. It proves that your scheme works. It gives the fans a reason to scream, and in a home-court advantage situation, that noise is worth five or six points easily.
The Role of the Media and the "Choke" Narrative
We have to talk about the "C" word. Choking.
The moment a team loses Game 4 and Game 5 after being up 3-0, the "choke" narrative begins. It is a social media wildfire. Analysts like Stephen A. Smith or Shannon Sharpe start talking about "legacy" and "failure." This gets into the players' heads. They see the tweets. They see the highlights.
The "don't let us get one" team feeds off this. They aren't the ones being scrutinized; they are the ones doing the scrutinizing. They have nothing to lose, which is the most liberating feeling in professional sports.
Practical Lessons for the Underdog
If you're in a position where you're the underdog—whether in sports, business, or whatever—there are actual takeaways from this mindset.
First, stop looking at the finish line. If you're $100,000 in debt, don't think about the $100k. Think about the first $500. Get that one win.
Second, use the opponent's confidence against them. When people think they’ve already won, they stop doing the small things. They stop diving for loose balls. They stop checking their work. That’s where you strike.
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Third, announce your presence. Jaylen Brown didn't just think "don't let us get one," he said it. He made it a public challenge. Sometimes you have to call your shot to put the pressure on the person standing in your way.
What Happens if You Don't Close the Door?
The 2023 Celtics almost did the impossible. They got to Game 7. They were at home. The garden was rocking. And then Jayson Tatum rolled his ankle on the very first play.
Even with the "don't let us get one" momentum, the game still has to be played. The Heat eventually won that Game 7 because they were professional enough to weather the storm. But the fact remains: they were terrified. You could see it in their eyes during Games 4, 5, and 6.
The lesson for the frontrunner is simple: don't give them hope. Hope is a dangerous thing. It's the fuel for the "don't let us get one" fire. If you have someone down, you finish them. You don't let them hang around. You don't "manage" the lead. You grow it.
Actionable Steps for Managing High-Pressure Leads
If you find yourself in a position of dominance and you hear the whispers of a comeback, you need a plan.
- Ignore the Noise: Stop looking at the historical stats or what the media says about your "inevitable" win.
- Attack the Weakness: Usually, a team trying to "get one" is over-extending themselves. They are taking risks. Punish those risks immediately.
- Stay Aggressive: The moment you start playing "safe," you've already lost the mental battle.
- Kill the Hope Early: In a Game 4 where you're trying to sweep, the first five minutes are the most important. If you go up by 10 early, the "don't let us get one" talk dies in the huddle.
The phrase "don't let us get one" will live on as long as there are playoffs. It is the ultimate underdog anthem. It’s a reminder that in sports, as in life, the momentum can flip on a single play, a single steal, or a single quote. So, next time your team is down 3-0, don't turn off the TV. Just wait. They might just get that one. And then? Well, then everything changes.