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1. Again to the Japanese Convention Finals.
After a hard-fought seven-game battled towards the defending champions, the Boston Celtics are again within the Japanese Convention Finals. Boston needed to take down the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo to get there, however they did it.
The very best a part of this sequence win? Each win featured a special hero.
Sport 2 was Jaylen Brown’s recreation.
Sport 4 was Al Horford’s huge evening.
Sport 6 was all Jayson Tatum.
Sport 7 was Grant Williams’ capturing present.
And others contributed all through as nicely. This Boston workforce is as cohesive and as deep as any of the opposite which have superior thus far within the season. That ought to serve them will within the battles to come back.
2. Sport 7 of the 2017 Japanese Convention second spherical towards the Washington Wizards will eternally be often known as The Kelly Olynyk Sport.
It now has firm with The Grant Williams Sport.
Williams went 7-for-18 from behind the arc, as he set an NBA document for three-point makes an attempt in a Sport 7. Williams mentioned that regardless of just a few early misses, his teammates and Ime Udoka mentioned to “Let it fly” and boy did he ever pay attention.
Possibly we must always have recognized after the primary basket of the sport:
Williams did most of his work from exterior, however this was a superb drive towards Bobby Portis to get a layup:
He additionally did his factor as a defender. Most of that work got here towards Giannis Antetokounmpo, however Williams confirmed his versatility right here as he blocked this Wesley Matthews three:
However…it actually was all in regards to the threes for Williams in Sport 7! This one got here off an ATO and from a terrific cross from Marcus Sensible:
With Jayson Tatum on the bench in foul bother within the third quarter, Williams was an enormous a part of creating separation from the Bucks. It is a no-hesitation rip:
To open the fourth quarter, it was GR3NT once more:
A career-high 27 factors within the greatest recreation of his life. The Grant Williams Sport certainly.
3. Jayson Tatum struggled by foul bother for lots of the second half. By the point he received again within the recreation within the fourth quarter, he centered on being a playmaker vs a scorer.
However Boston might need been sunk with out Tatum dropping in 17 first-half factors.
At no level within the sequence was Tatum shy about going towards Giannis Antetokounmpo:
Milwaukee put a ton of strain on Wesley Matthews to battle by screens to chase Tatum all sequence. Matthews appeared to put on down over the previous couple of video games. With him struggling to get round screens and the large in drop protection, that is straightforward cash:
As soon as Tatum is feeling it, it’s simply him and the rim:
Early within the sequence, Tatum was centered on going by the Bucks. Because it went alongside, Tatum realized it might be simpler to simply go round them typically:
4. Jaylen Brown did his factor with 19 factors, together with some good board work with eight rebounds and a few terrific protection.
With Boston’s offense scuffling early, Ime Udoka drew up this ATO to get Brown a glance. The protection is concentrated on a Tatum-Horford motion, that enables Brown to work on the bottom of the play for the triple:
Brown did one of the best job all through the sequence of stepping into the physique of Giannis Antetokounmpo on drives to the rim. It is a good, robust transition end:
Brown goes so rapidly right here that the Bucks haven’t any likelihood to react. That ends in an and-1 alternative:
All sequence lengthy, if Brown or Jayson Tatum received out in transition or downhill off a display screen, they usually noticed Grayson Allen between them and the rim, it was time to eat:
5. The story of this sequence was transition protection, particularly off live-ball turnovers. The easiest way to maintain that beneath management? Don’t flip the ball over.
Within the first half, regardless of having the lead, Boston had 9 turnovers. Within the second half, Boston had simply 5 turnovers, and a kind of was an intentional shot-clock violation.
That’s the way you right issues and get a comeback sequence victory.
6. Over a four-minute stretch of the fourth quarter, Payton Pritchard went off. He helped pushed Boston’s result in 22 factors and that principally put Milwaukee away.
This primary shot was a pleasant job by Pritchard to raise as much as the wing. That made it sufficient simpler for Jayson Tatum to choose him out with the cross. Bonus: Watch Robert Williams on the baseline as this ball is within the air and drops by the online. Pure pleasure right here:
Just a little later, Pritchard did a superb job to once more carry as much as get a clear look. Watch all the way in which to the top of the clip to see Pritchard yelling “That’s what I do!” on the Bucks:
Pritchard wasn’t completed but although. It is a deep step-back triple over Jrue Vacation:
When the Celtics traded Dennis Schroder, it was assumed Payton Pritchard would substitute his backup level guard minutes. The bonus was Pritchard changing Enes Kanter Freedom’s offensive rebounding too! In all seriousness, Pritchard has an impressive nostril for the ball on the offensive glass:
7. The Celtics ball motion was terrific. They racked up 29 assists on 37 baskets. Nearly everybody received concerned too.
Boston did a superb job of breaking down Milwaukee’s protection to create beauty. There’s no higher look than the drive-and-dish for a dunk:
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had their connection working. It is a good drive-and-kick play to get Brown a 3 and to drive a Bucks timeout:
Despite the fact that it wasn’t actually an ATO, Ime Udoka used the aforementioned Bucks timeout to attract up a set for Boston coming again down the ground on their subsequent possession. And it labored completely:
Marcus Sensible did a fairly good impression of the “ground normal” stuff that some corners of the web appear to assume the Celtics lack. For no matter oddball purpose that’s. This seems rather a lot like a play a ground normal would make:
8. Boston’s protection was locked in all sequence, however particularly so in Sport 7. Milwaukee shot simply 36.7%. And that occurred as a result of the Celtics have been all over the place.
This play begins with Daniel Theis holding his floor for a pleasant block on Giannis Antetokounmpo. It ends with a loud follow-dunk from Marcus Sensible:
Just a little over a minute later, Theis stoned Jrue Vacation on the rim. Whereas his minutes have been restricted, Theis’ influence over the previous couple of video games was not:
9. Late within the recreation, it was time for a bit enjoyable. When the triples are raining down, it’s solely truthful that The Threesmith will get concerned:
Malik Fitts is a present in and of himself on the bench for Boston. He’s nice for “the vibes”, as the children say. Proper earlier than this play, it seemed like Fitts received damage making an attempt to seize a rebound. He got here away clutching his proper shoulder. Seconds later, he appears to have made a miraculous restoration, identical to the Celtics did:
10. Again the Japanese Convention Finals.
Fourth time in six years that the Boston Celtics are headed to the penultimate spherical of the playoffs.
This time round, issues really feel totally different. The 2017 workforce was filled with coronary heart and guts, however all the time appeared overmatched, particularly with out Isaiah Thomas.
The 2018 workforce was clearly a bit forward of their time with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum being infants by way of NBA expertise.
The 2020 workforce had the whole lot thrown off-kilter by Gordon Hayward getting damage, and even when he got here again, he wasn’t himself. That group, together with a banged up Kemba Walker, ran out of fuel within the bubble.
However this feels totally different. This workforce performs higher protection than any of these different teams. They’ve expertise. And, knock on wooden, they’re comparatively wholesome.
However principally, as Jaylen Brown mentioned postgame, they consider issues could be totally different this time round. As Brown mentioned, this group has “the poise to get it completed”.
The Miami Heat are not any slouches. They’re a veteran group they usually’ve been right here earlier than. In opposition to these Celtics.
Nicely…possibly not these Celtics. Solely time will inform, simply how various things are for Boston this time round.
Sport 1 of the Japanese Convention Finals on the Miami Warmth is on Tuesday, Might 17 at 8:30 PM ET on ESPN.
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