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One Google seek for “Boston Celtics” will see your display screen flooded with pictures of Grant Williams and Jimmy Butler. Williams talked trash to the Miami Heat celebrity, who proceeded to assault the Celtics ahead each probability he obtained.
Issues obtained heated, and Miami went on a large run to finish the sport. Now, the narrative within the nationwide media is centered round how Williams fueled Butler and the Warmth.
And whereas Williams completely deserves some blame for the loss, he isn’t the rationale the Celtics dropped Game 2. Not even shut.
Ought to Williams have gotten in Butler’s face? In all probability not. Of all the blokes on the courtroom who he may’ve gone at, Butler ought to have been fairly far down the record. However that’s who Williams is. He plays with a fire unlike many others, and normally, it provides Boston a large increase.
What higher technique to get a crew fired up than to go on the opponent’s greatest participant? If something, Williams’ actions ought to have gotten the Celtics amped up and able to push ahead. As an alternative, everybody round him wilted.
The incident between Williams and Butler occurred with beneath seven minutes to play. Williams nailed a three-point shot, talked smack, and Butler responded by giving him the work.
Together with Williams’ three-pointer, the Celtics made simply three discipline objectives within the closing eight minutes of the sport. All of them have been Williams.
Over the course of these final eight minutes, Butler scored eight factors, and Williams scored seven. So, for as dominant as Butler could have appeared going at Williams, the Celtics ahead saved tempo.
The remainder of the crew crumbled.
Jayson Tatum had an outstanding Sport 2, however within the fourth quarter, he solely tried three photographs. The Warmth did an important job of conserving him from getting photographs up, and the remainder of the crew couldn’t make up for it.
Jaylen Brown put collectively certainly one of his worst performances in latest reminiscence. Forcing the problem repeatedly, Brown was content material throwing up contested jumpers all night time lengthy reasonably than working for higher appears to be like.
Derrick White (+8) and Robert Williams (+7) have been the second and third-best gamers on the courtroom behind Tatum, and each solely performed 23 minutes, whereas Marcus Sensible (-15) and Al Horford (-15) closed out the sport within the fourth. Joe Mazzulla determined to roll along with his regulars, which blew up within the Celtics’ face.
Miami’s zone protection completely broke the Celtics but once more. They discovered methods to dismantle it however refused to make the most of them constantly, resulting in an unsightly, one-on-one offensive type for which this Boston crew has sadly turn into identified.
Butler has been the very best participant in these NBA Playoffs. He’s made a residing ripping different groups’ hearts out. Williams could have been the match used to ignite the hearth, however Butler was going to torch Boston and take issues into his personal arms it doesn’t matter what.
And apart from his trash speak, Williams put collectively an incredible efficiency. He stifled Bam Adebayo within the publish after the Celtics failed to take action in Sport 1. He nailed a 3 when his quantity was referred to as. He made all of the hustle gamers Boston wanted him to. He even took issues into his personal arms, choosing up an enormous bucket and an enormous help in the previous few minutes. However he talked trash to the mistaken individual.
Williams completely deserves a slice of the blame pie for getting Butler going. However his slice needs to be the smallest of the bunch.
The Celtics misplaced Sport 2 due to their lack of ability to indicate up on the offensive finish. That’s on Brown, that’s on Sensible, and that’s on Mazzulla.
However as a result of it makes for the very best story, Williams will catch all the warmth.
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