Two Needless Games Later, The Celtics Knocked Out The Hawks 128-120 To Win The Series 4-2

 

    They made it way too hard on themselves-even in the Game 6 clincher-but let the record show that the Celtics finally got the job done with a 128-120 victory tonight against the Hawks at State Farm Arena. Boston won the series 4-2 and advances to the second round to face Philadelphia which will start on Monday (7:30, TNT) at TD Garden. Just like in Game 4's win there, the Celts dynamic duo of shooting guard Jaylen Brown (game-high 32 points, 5 rebounds) and small forward Jayson Tatum (30 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks) both reached 30+ points. This one was too close for comfort most of the way as Atlanta led by two points (100-98) going into the fourth quarter but thankfully, the C's played their best frame in the fourth (30-20) to get this over with and avoid a Game 7 on Saturday back at the Garden.

    We all believe in Boston's depth and if they make another real run this postseason, that should be a key to their success. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla played nine guys this evening and they all scored. Besides the Jays, point guard Marcus Smart (22 points) and center Al Horford (10 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals) were both very solid while backup point guard Malcolm Brogdon tied his series-high with 17 points off the bench. Shooting guard Derrick White (7 points) and center Robert Williams (4 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals) both had their worst games of the series but that was overshadowed by the rest of the supporting cast aka "The Others" (thanks Shaq!) stepping up for them. 

    It was another high scoring game from the start as Boston led 35-34 after the first quarter and by one point at halftime (68-67). The Hawks star point guard Trae Young (30 points, 10 assists) was on fire to begin the contest with 25 points in the first half alone but the Celts locked him down in the second half as he finished 9-for-28 from the field. Small forward De'Andre Hunter (20 points, 6 rebounds), point forward John Collins (16 points, 2 blocks), shooting guard Dejounte Murray (14 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds) and center Clint Capela (10 points, 10 rebounds) all scored in double figures but it was not enough to extend the series any further. Shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (12 points) and power forward Onyeka Ogkongwu (11 rebounds, 2 blocks) were both good off Atlanta's bench in limited minutes. 

    Boston shot four percent better from the floor (50%-46%), they hit three more 3-pointers (18-15), they made two more steals (7-5), had three more blocks (10-7) and three less turnovers (10-7) than Atlanta. The Celtics scored four more points in the paint (54-50) and a whopping 14 more fast break points (18-4) than the Hawks. Rest ahead of the next series is what Boston cost themselves by losing not once but twice to Atlanta. As such, Games 1-4 (along with a possible Game 5 and Game 6) are all two days apart for the Celts and Sixers. This is the third time since 2018 that Boston has met Philadelphia in the postseason and we should feel confident since the C's won the other two times. They also went 3-1 against Philly during the regular season with the Sixers' lone win coming when the Celtics sat many key players. It should be fun with former Celtics head coach Doc Rivers now in charge of the Sixers and Philadelphia is certainly much more a sports city and fan base than Atlanta. Get some rest and be ready to roll on Monday for what should be a much more intriguing playoff series. 

Celts Bounce Back From Hideous Game 3 Loss To Beat The Hawks 129-121 & Take A 3-1 Series Lead

 

    I still have my doubts whether the Celtics can consistently focus and play enough defense to win an NBA title this postseason but at least they got back untracked tonight with a 129-121 victory over the Hawks at State Farm Arena. This should have been the close out game of an easy first round sweep but Boston messed that up by somehow losing to Atlanta 130-122 in Game 3 on Friday. Oh well, the gentleman's sweep should be completed on Tuesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) back at TD Garden. The Celtics' two stars showed up in a major way as small forward Jayson Tatum (7 rebounds, 3 blocks) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown both scored a team-high 31 points. The Hawks' lone star point guard Trae Young had by far his best outing of the series with a game-high 35 points, 15 assists and two steals but shucks, it was not enough to tie up this pointless series. 

    Boston came out with a purpose in the first quarter as they took a 35-25 lead. They still were up by double digits heading into halftime (65-53) after point guard Marcus Smart's (19 points) late three-pointer. Atlanta made its push in the third quarter (34-27) but the C's did just enough to hold on in the fourth quarter (37-34). That essentially ended this series since pretty much nobody rallies from a 3-1 hole in the NBA playoffs which is rather pathetic but mostly true. 

    The Green are far deeper than the Hawks as shown by the fact that three other guys scored in double figures: shooting guard Derrick White (18 points) along with point guard/Sixth Man of The Year Malcolm Brogdon (14 points) and center Robert Williams (13 points, game-high 15 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) who were both great off of the bench. Center Al Horford played 34 minutes, took two shots that he missed but still had a real impact with 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals. Small forward De'Andre Hunter added 27 points and seven rebounds for Atlanta while shooting guard Dejounte Murray notched 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Center Clint Capela (10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) was the only other Hawk to reach double digits. 

    With injuries to Giannis and Joel Embiid already, the Eastern Conference playoff picture is really beginning to open up in Boston's favor which makes it so important for them to eliminate an inferior opponent like Atlanta ASAP. Philadelphia-who they completely own-awaits them in a second round series that could start as soon as Saturday. The Celtics shot eight percent better from the field (51%-43%), they grabbed seven more rebounds (49-42), they scored 12 more points in the paint (56-44) and 10 more fast break points (18-8). If I know anything about a hapless franchise like the Hawks, they will barely show up for Game 5 and Boston will blow their doors off while we all get loose on Canal Street. Ideally, the Celts can build up a big lead on Tuesday allowing their starters and key bench guys to not have to play big minutes to get this done.

C's Pulled Off The Third Biggest Comeback In NBA History Thanks To Tatum's Career Night (60 Pts!!!)

 

    The entire 2020-21 Celtics (34-30 overall, 21-12 home) experience was tightly wrapped up in a single game tonight as they went down by as much as 32 points at the TD Garden to the Spurs (31-31 overall, 18-12 away) before staging an epic rally than ended with a 143-140 overtime win for the home team. Only this group could feel the total dejection of what would have been their worst loss of the season combined with the overwhelming sense of joy from pulling off their best victory of the year. Forgive me for not mentioning Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum yet who scored a career-high 60 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists with no turnovers (!) in 45 exhausting minutes. With that, he tied Larry Bird's (ever heard of him?) franchise record for points in a game while also becoming the first player in the history of this proud team to score 50+ points twice in the same season. 

    Unfortunately, Boston has had more than their fair share of awful losses this season and with the way that they started this game, it felt inevitable that this would be the worst one of all. Thankfully, it didn't have to come to that as besides Tatum, other Celtics like shooting guard Jaylen Brown (17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks), rookie swingman Aaron Nesmith (16 points, 6 rebounds off the bench), guard Marcus Smart (10 points, 12 assists, 2 steals) and center Robert Williams (10 points, 9 rebounds) all did just enough to come out on top. The Spurs were led by swingman DeMar DeRozan (team-high 30 points, 14 assists, five rebounds and two steals) who was great and point guard Dejounte Murray (24 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists) who is becoming quite a player. Center Jakob Poeltl (15 points, 10 rebounds) and small forward Keldon Johnson (14 points, 8 rebounds) also stood out for San Antonio who wasted a great game from their bench that outscored Boston's 55-38. Shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV (24 points) was brilliant for the Spurs while UConn's Rudy Gay (16 points) and point guard Patty Mills (11 points) were other impactful reserves who made plays as usual against the Celtics. 

    San Antonio was up 39-16 after one quarter and 77-48 at halftime as the 2300 fans that were at the Garden rightfully sent Boston to their locker room with a chorus of boos. The Celts chipped away with a wonderful third quarter (42-26) before they tied it in the fourth quarter (38-25). Boston actually had a chance to win this in regulation but Tatum missed that shot which sent the instant classic to overtime. For the game, the Celtics hit seven more 3-pointers (18-11), grabbed nine more offensive rebounds (17-8), blocked six more shots (7-1) and had 12 more second chance points (27-15) than the Spurs. 

    As I've said many times in this season full of crazy highs and lows, this win will quickly lose much of its potential meaning if Boston learns nothing from it and comes out flat once again in their next game on Sunday night (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) vs. Portland (35-28 overall, 19-12 away). A mark of a good team is consistency and that is something which this group has struggled with all year. This improbable comeback kept the hunt for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs alive. Boston is tied with Atlanta (34-30) for fifth-place while New York (35-28) is a game and a half in front of them (with a game in hand) and Miami (33-30) trails both clubs by half a game as they currently are stuck in seventh-place purgatory for the play-in tournament. Take a breath and get some rest tomorrow since the meeting with the Blazers-who Boston beat 116-115 in Portland on April 13-should be another doozy with their superstar Damian Lillard liable to drop 50+ points at any time as well. The Celts are 2-1 on this homestand so finishing 3-1 on it with a three-game win streak to boot would be swell. 

For The First Time This Season, Celts Had Their Full Roster But They Lost 110-106 To The Spurs

 

    It only took 17 games (nearly 1/3 of this abbreviated regular season) but tonight the Celtics (10-7 overall, 5-5 away) finally got to see what their team looks like when it is at full strength (ie. nobody out with injuries and/or Covid-19). They had a chance to tie it late but guard Marcus Smart (14 points) missed a wide-open 3-pointer from the corner and Boston fell 110-106 to San Antonio (10-8 overall, 4-5 home) at the AT&T Center. Ever since superstar Kawhi Leonard left town, the Spurs have been mediocre at best. However, with tonight's win, the Spurs are 16-2 in their last 18 meetings with the C's. Boston also dropped to 2-4 in its last six games. Small forward Jayson Tatum (game-high 25 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals) and guard Jaylen Brown (24 points, 5 assists, 2 blocks) were the best players on the floor but in old school San Antonio style, they had six guys score in double-figures compared to only four by the Celts. 

    Small forward DeMar DeRozan (team-high 21 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds) and point guard Dejounte Murray (11 points, 11 rebounds) turned in the two biggest plays of the night, both for the Spurs. DeRozan hit a mid-range jumper that broke the late 103-103 tie then Murray converted a huge steal into a dunk and a four-point lead (107-103) that Boston was never able to recover from. Drafting and developing talent is kind of a lost art in the NBA but not when it comes to San Antonio who is always getting the most out of its young players many of whom were mid-to-late first round, second round or even undrafted picks. With that in mind, forward Keldon Johnson posted a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds) and shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV added 14 points. Center LaMarcus Aldridge (20 points, 2 blocks) can still get it done as proven by his effectiveness this evening against an opponent that he usually owns. Backup point guard Patty Mills also notched 12 points and two steals off the bench. Celtics point guard Kemba Walker had essentially the same offensive numbers as Smart (14 points, 6-of-15 shooting from the field) which is not what they're looking for. 

I have no complaints about Boston's start because they jumped out to a 30-25 lead after the first quarter. Things completely changed in the second quarter as the home team flexed their muscles and basically ran the Celtics out of Texas. The Spurs more than doubled (36-17) up Boston in that frame and went into halftime with a gift turnover and floater at the buzzer by Walker for a 14-point advantage (61-47). The break treated the C's well as they came out and put together one of their best quarters of this season. They outscored the Spurs by 16 points (37-21) which allowed them to carry a slim two-point lead (84-82) into the fourth quarter. Sadly, that just set the stage for San Antonio to execute down the stretch while the Celtics (surprise!) looked like a team that needed some more practice time let alone games to build further chemistry. 

    When you examine the box score, it's tough to explain how this contest was so tight since the Spurs shot 13.2% better from the field (56.1%-42.9) and they grabbed seven more rebounds (46-39) including 11 more offensive boards (37-26). From what I can tell, besides Tatum and Brown, the only thing that kept this close down to the last possession was the fact that Boston had twice as many steals (10-5) and nine less turnovers (19-10). As it says above, the road has not been kind to the Celtics but they better find a way to change that soon since they host the Lakers (14-5) on Saturday night (8:30, ABC) before departing for a season-long five-game West Coast road trip. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers are a half-game behind the Jazz (14-4) for the best record in the league but is there any doubt that the defending champions are still the team to beat? Saturday Night Live finally returns with a new show this weekend so what better prelude to that than a showdown of the NBA's most storied rivals?