Kevin Garnett recorded a high energy, expletive-filled video to pump up the Boston Celtics before they played the Chicago Bulls in Game 3.

The Celtics struggled in the first two games of the series and have also been dealing with the tragic passing of Isaiah Thomas' sister.

"Everybody was kinda pumped up. I almost felt like he was in the locker room with me again," said Avery Bradley, the only player on Boston's roster who played alongside Garnett.

"It kind of energized us a little bit before the game, and it reminded us of what we're playing for and what the Celtics stand for. ... It's funny, because he was our leader when he was here. He's still part of this Celtics family. For him to go out of his way to send us a message like that, that means a lot to all of us.

"Like I said, it was a reminder of Celtics family. We have to play a certain way because they are watching. There's a respect, the way that we play, and we have to play hard. Every single time we step on the floor, we have to leave everything out there. That has to be our mindset."

A smiling Thomas helped shift the mood in the locker room.

"Isaiah, it was his idea to play it before the game," Bradley said. "And it got us going a little bit."

The Boston Celtics' coaching staff was in favor of trading for Carmelo Anthony at the deadline, according to a source. Danny Ainge, however, had reservations about trading for Anthony. The Celtics have sought cap space for 2017 and acquiring Anthony would have taken that option off the table.

Jae Crowder is a player of interest for the New York Knicks, who could have been acquired during the 2014 Tyson Chandler trade.

The Celtics could use cap space to absorb Anthony's contract if Ainge strikes out in free agency.

Anthony has a full no-trade with the Knicks.

Marcus Smart has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for flipping off a fan in the fourth quarter of Game 2.

Smart made the gesture after missing a three-pointer.

"If he made a gesture, it's inappropriate," said Brad Stevens.

Brad Stevens has the worst winning percentage in NBA history amongst head coaches with at least 10 games in the playoffs. 

The Celtics were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in his first playoffs in 2015, followed by a 4-2 series defeat in 2016 by the Atlanta Hawks.

The Celtics trail the Chicago Bulls 0-2 after the first two games of the 2017 playoffs despite finishing with the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Stevens has a 2-10 record over his first 12 games.

Isaiah Thomas will play in Game 2 of the Boston Celtics' series against the Chicago Bulls.

Thomas will travel to Tacoma after the game to attend to his sister's recent death.

Thomas had 33 points on 18 shots from the floor to go with five rebounds and six assists in Game 1 just hours after his sister was killed in a car accident outside Seattle.

The sister of Isaiah Thomas was killed Saturday morning in a one-car accident outside Seattle.

Chyna J. Thomas was 22 years old.

The car accident occurred around 5 a.m. on southbound Interstate 5 near South 288th Street in Federal Way, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Witnesses reported that the car, a 1998 Toyota Camry, was being driven normally at first.

“All of a sudden it started to drift very casually onto the left shoulder,” State Patrol spokesman Trooper Nick King said.

The car traveled about 50 feet partially off the roadway until it hit a Jersey barrier.

“That vaulted the vehicle head-on into the sign post,” King said.

According to Celtics' reporter Mark Murphy, Thomas didn't find out about his sister's death until after Saturday's practice.

With the Brooklyn Nets clinching the worst record in the NBA on Friday night following the Phoenix Suns' victory, the Boston Celtics will enter May's lottery with the best odds of securing the top overall pick.

The Celtics own pick swap rights with the Nets.

Boston will pick no worse than fourth overall.

The Celtics ended up with the third overall pick in 2016 due to owning the Nets' pick.

Mike Zarren was "the leading vote-getter by a wide margin" when Kevin Arnovitz polled people in the NBA for future general manager candidates.

Zarren has worked for the Boston Celtics for the past decade, beginning as an unpaid intern after graduating from Harvard Law.

Zarren has received interest from a number of teams, most notably the Philadelphia 76ers in 2013 before they hired Sam Hinkie.

Zarren has a strong understanding of the collective bargaining agreement and is considered a good negotiator.