Horford Goes Toe-To-Toe With Giannis & A Huge Fourth Quarter Helps The C's Tie The Series 2-2

 

    The beauty of the playoffs in sports, even in the usually predictable NBA is that you never really know what's going to happen on a given day. Take last night for example as Boston rallied for an amazing 116-108 victory at the Fiserv Forum in Game 4 of their second-round series with Milwaukee. The huge fourth quarter by the Celtics (where they outscored the Bucks 43-28) allowed them to even up the series at two games apiece while also taking back the home court advantage that they lost when Milwaukee stunned them in Game 1. Few would argue that Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (game-high 34 points, game-high 18 rebounds, 5 assists) is the best basketball player in the world these days but incredibly, 35-year-old Celts center Al Horford (who most thought was washed up when he was traded back here last summer) nearly matched him with a playoff career-high 30 points and eight rebounds.

    Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum (30 points, team-high 13 rebounds, 5 assists) had his best game of the series but there is little doubt that this will be remembered forever in Celtics playoff lore as "The Al Horford Game." Boston's point guard Marcus Smart (18 points, 8 assists, 2 blocks) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (18 points) were both good as well while backup point guard Derrick White had his best playoff performance for the C's with 11 points off the bench. Part of the reason that Boston won is because they did not allow any of the other Bucks to really go off: center Brook Lopez was the next highest scorer for the home team with 17 points and seven rebounds, point guard Jrue Holiday had decent numbers (16 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) but he shot a pathetic 5-of-22 from the floor. Meanwhile, shooting guard Wesley Matthews added 12 points while Arlington's own Pat Connaughton notched 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the reigning world champions. This was a contest where you could clearly see that Milwaukee dearly missed its second best player-small forward Khris Middleton-who is still out with a sprained MCL. 

    I wouldn't say that Boston stole this game since they outworked Milwaukee in crunch time so they earned that coveted road playoff win. However, if I was a Bucks fan I would feel that they let this one slip away since they led for most of the game before falling apart in the fourth quarter when it mattered most. Milwaukee was up 25-18 after a low scoring first quarter then Boston cut it to a one-point margin at halftime (48-47 Bucks). Milwaukee took control again in the third quarter (32-26) but that only set the stage for the best quarter of the postseason for the Celts. The numbers don't lie since the C's owned a majority of the most important stats: they shot nine percent better from the field (50%-41%), they hit five more 3-pointers (14-9), hit their free throws at a higher rate (90%-77%) and handed out seven more assists (25-18) with three more fast break points (16-13) than the Bucks. 

    It's crazy how fast a series can shift because if the Bucks had won Game 4, it basically would have been over. Winning three straight playoff games against Milwaukee would be nearly impossible. Instead, Boston has a great opportunity to take control tomorrow night (7, TNT) in Game 5 in what should be another electric atmosphere at the TD Garden. You wonder if the Bucks will try and get Middleton back at some point this week. The Celtics actually announced a few hours before Game 4 that center Robert Williams was out with left knee soreness (his surgically repaired left knee, not great!) but that turned out to be not much of a factor. Neither team has won two games in a row this round so hopefully the C's can flip that trend and put the Bucks on the brink of elimination with another outstanding team performance.

Thanks To Brad Marchand (5 Points), The Bruins Have Evened The Series With The Hurricanes 2-2

 

    In a truly stunning turn of events, the Bruins-Hurricanes first-round playoff series has taken on serious NBA playoff vibes with the home team winning every game so far. Home ice is supposed to be mostly irrelevant in the NHL playoffs but that has been far from the case in this matchup. This afternoon at TD Garden, Boston celebrated Mother's Day by rallying twice and using a brilliant playoff career-best five point (2 goals, 3 assist) performance by star left wing Brad Marchand to take Game 4 by a score of 5-2. After looking dead in the water following losses in Games 1 & 2 at Carolina, the B's evened the series 2-2 with Game 5 set for Tuesday (7, NESN) back in Raleigh, NC. 

    What made this victory quite impressive was that Boston survived without their top two defensemen: Hampus Lindholm (still recovering from that Game 2 concussion) and Charlie McAvoy (put in Covid protocol this morning). This meant that the immortal Josh Brown (-2) played 12:52 in an important playoff game and his team still managed to win despite the fact that he doesn't belong in the NHL. The Hurricanes looked so good in the first two games and the Bruins answered the bell to survive the must-win Game 3 but if Boston wins this series, we will likely look back on Game 4 as a big turning point. Today was when Carolina started to crumble, led by bozo defenseman Tony DeAngelo who jawed with Marchand all day and ended his outing by tossing his stick as Brad scored an empty-netter to make it 5-2 with 35 seconds left in regulation. 

    For the fourth straight game, the Canes scored first as UNH defenseman Brett Pesce skated free in the slot and took a pass from forward Max Domi that he whipped past B's goaltender Jeremy Swayman (24 saves) for his first goal of the playoffs. Center Eric Staal had the second assist on opening tally which came at 14:06 of the first period. That lead was very short-lived though as Bruins captain and center Patrice Bergeron tied it with a backhander at 16:09. His third goal of the series was assisted by Marchand and right wing David Pastrnak. 

    Carolina quickly regained the lead in the second period as Staal one-timed a sweet backhand pass from behind the net by right wing Nino Niederreiter. That made it 2-1 in favor of the Hurricanes 33 seconds into the frame with DeAngelo picking up the second assist (his 5th of the series). Things started to go Boston's way from there beginning with a fortuitous call: left wing Jake DeBrusk tied it at two with a power play goal at 18:44 of the second period. DeBrusk's first goal of the postseason was assisted by Marchand and Bergeron. It appeared like Jake pushed Carolina goaltender Antti Raanta's (23 saves) pad before knocking the puck in through a maze of bodies. Canes head coach Rod Brind'Amour challenged the play but lost it which sent the home team right back on the power play. 

    Marchand made the Hurricanes pay as he ripped a wrist shot over Raanta's glove 44 seconds into the third period. It was a 5-on-3 after Bergy had taken a high stick right above his eye from Canes center Sebastian Aho that made him bleed like an ECW wrestler in the late 90s. That gave Boston its first lead of the contest at 3-2 with center Charlie Coyle and DeBrusk picking up the assists on Marchand's second goal of the series. Pasta put it out of reach with a tap-in from a gorgeous cross-ice feed by Marchand that made it 4-2 Bruins at 5:41. Bergeron had the other helper on Pastrnak's second goal of the series. A great stat about the reunited perfection line: Boston is now 6-0 all-time in the postseason when those three guys record multiple points in the same game. 

    If you believe in momentum in the NHL playoffs, the B's certainly have it at this moment. Remember though, Carolina has home ice advantage so Boston will have to win a game there to advance past this round. For that reason, Game 5 seems like a lovely time to shift this narrative and show that they can also win on the road in a tough environment full of liquored up rednecks. It will be Swayman's first playoff start away from the Garden but I never worry much about him. I realize that Linus Ullmark played better than him down the stretch in the regular season but I still think that the rookie should have started in Games 1 & 2 (not that it would have mattered with how poorly the entire team performed) just like he should have started last postseason with Tuukka Rask falling apart but I digress. All the pressure has shifted to the Hurricanes as they contemplate getting eliminated by the B's for the third time in the last four postseasons. For these reasons and more, Game 5 should be a doozy and it's not a stretch to say that whomever wins that one will probably capture the series as well.

The B's Finally Showed Some Life, Winning Game Three 4-2 To Cut Carolina's Series Lead To 2-1

 

    It only took six games (3 in the regular season and 3 in the playoffs) in the 2021-22 season, but the Bruins have finally beaten the Hurricanes. Facing a must-win scenario in Game 3 tonight at TD Garden in their first-round playoff series, Boston beat Carolina 4-2 to trim the Hurricanes' series lead to 2-1. The also very important Game 4 is on Mother's Day afternoon (12:30, NESN) at the Garden. B's rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman got his first career playoff start and with 25 saves, he was more than good enough to earn the victory that hopefully will be his first of many postseason wins for the Black and Gold. On the other end, Carolina's rookie and third-string goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov (24 saves) predictably crumbled in his first playoff start on the road in a charged Friday night atmosphere. 

    For the third time already in the series, Carolina scored first as veteran center Vincent Trocheck (2nd goal of the playoffs) cashed in a rebound from defenseman Brendan Smith at 9:17 of the first period. It would have been easy for the nervy home team to get even shakier after that but instead, they showed what they are made of by rattling off four straight tallies to take control of the contest. Their first goal was a textbook shorthanded 2-on-1 break as left wing Jake DeBrusk fed a perfect saucer pass to BU's Charlie Coyle to one-time out of mid-air and into the net for his first goal of the postseason at 17:16 of the first period. That tied it at one, woke the crowd up and most importantly, it seemed to propel the Bruins to play easily their best hockey for an extended amount of time in the first three games of the postseason.   

    Boston grabbed their first lead of the season series (seriously!) when long-time star left wing Brad Marchand found some room in the slot and beat Kochetkov up high with a snap shot. Center Patrice Bergeron had the lone assist on Marchand's first goal of the playoffs at 5:41 of the second period. Boston kept the pressure on and surprisingly, their normally weak power play was the positive catalyst. Superstar right wing David Pastrnak converted a wrist shot that a better and/or more experienced goaltender should have stopped. Regardless, it gave Boston a 3-1 lead at 14:53 of the second period on Pasta's first goal of the postseason, assisted by Coyle and Marchand. 

    For all intents and purposes, the B's put it away with another power play strike early in the third period: left wing Taylor Hall played a beautiful give-and-go with Pastrnak that resulted in an easy tap-in by the former No. 1 overall pick. Marchand notched the other helper on Hall's second goal of the series at 4:08 which extended Boston's advantage to 4-1. Carolina's outstanding defenseman Jaccob Slavin scored the final goal, a wrist shot from distance that somehow eluded Swayman. Slavin's first goal of the playoffs was unassisted and it came at 11:30. 

    What started out as a weird night with a Bruins ice crew guy running into a referee during a stoppage in play and an extremely unlucky off-ice official in the penalty box having a pane of glass fall on his head (yikes, hope that he's ok), ended on a much brighter note. We've got a series and if Boston can find another way to come out on top on Sunday, then we'll really have something to talk about. Carolina looked like they were on a different level than the Bruins in the first two games at home but it was a different story tonight as the B's were more focused from start to finish and much stingier on defense.

    Boston won eight more faceoffs (34-26) and blocked a whopping 17 more shots (29-12) led by defenseman Derek Forbort's game-high eight blocked shots and they had five less giveaways than the Canes (12-7). It'll take a similar effort to even the series at two games apiece. B's head coach Bruce Cassidy made two minor changes to the lineup for Game 3, putting right wing Chris Wagner on the fourth line and having defenseman Mike Reilly play with their top defender Charlie McAvoy. Obviously, expect the same lineup for Game 4 since you don't want to dare to mess with their first taste of success against Carolina this season.

C's Respond In A Big Way, Rolling To A 109-86 Game 2 Win To Even The Series With The Bucks

 

    I'm not predicting banner 18 quite yet so you don't have to start planning the duck boat parade but still, the Celtics performance last night in Game 2 of their second round playoff series with Milwaukee is what championship teams do. Boston learned from their humbling defeat in Game 1 and fought back for an emphatic 109-86 victory to even things up at 1-1. A few hours before the game, we learned that the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year-Celtics guard Marcus Smart-was out for the game with a thigh contusion (yeah right, it's gotta be something much more significant than that). It seemed like an ominous sign with the home team facing essentially a must-win but as it turned out, he was hardly needed at all. This being the NBA, there is an insane amount of time off before Game 3 in Milwaukee which won't occur until Saturday afternoon (3:30, ABC) but at least we can talk about this awesome win rather than be miserable for the rest of the work week.   

    Playing in front of an electric TD Garden crowd, the Celts never really gave the Bucks a chance to breath as they led from start to finish. Their two stars-shooting guard Jaylen Brown (game-high 30 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) and swingman Jayson Tatum (29 points, 8 assists, 3 steals)-were both way better than on Sunday (particularly Brown) but the real story was third-year power forward Grant Williams who helped contain Milwaukee's two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (team-high 28 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 turnovers) on the defensive end and dropped a career-high 21 points (including six 3-pointers!) on the offensive end in 35 super productive minutes off the bench. Veteran center Al Horford added a double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and a game-high four steals. This final result was never really in doubt as the C's led by as many as 26 points (72-46 early in the third quarter) and the closest that the Bucks could get it in the fourth quarter was 12 points (94-82).

    Brown was invisible in Game 1 with 12 forgettable points so he made sure right away that he would show up in Game 2. He was on fire from the start with 25 points in the first half as Boston cruised to a 32-21 lead after the first quarter which they parlayed into a 25-point advantage at halftime (65-40)! The defending NBA champs were not completely fazed as they chipped away in the third quarter (26-18) but nobody could step up for the visitors and they slowly folded in the fourth (getting outscored 26-20). Milwaukee point guard Jrue Holiday (19 points, 7 assists, 2 steals) predictably came back down to Earth a bit as did their gritty big man Bobby Portis (13 points, 8 rebounds). St. John's Prep alum and shooting guard Pat Connaughton was the only other Buck to score in double figures as the former Orioles draft pick added a sneaky 13 points off the bench. 

    The easiest stat to point to was three-pointers as Boston made a whopping 17 more (20-3) than Milwaukee. The ball movement by the Celtics was absolutely gorgeous as they had 12 more assists (28-16) while their defense stepped up with six more steals (10-4) than the Bucks who had five more turnovers (16-11) which led to seven more points off turnovers (24-17) for the Celts. NBA playoff games are all about adjustments so now the question will be which version of these teams will show up for the next two games in Milwaukee. There was no way that this series would end in a sweep, you might as well settle in since this will most likely take a long time to determine the ultimate winner. 

After Milwaukee's 101-89 Win In Game 1, Boston Is Going To Have Their Hands Full With The Bucks

 

    I was told that the Celtics had a clear path to the NBA Finals now and that they should waltz past the Bucks in their second round playoff series. Yeah not so much as Milwaukee came out in Game 1 this afternoon at TD Garden and punched them in the mouth, taking the opener 101-89 behind their superstar power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo's second career playoff triple double (24 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 blocks). After sweeping the pathetic Nets in the first round, Boston had been off for nearly a week but that's not an excuse as they suffered their first loss of this postseason. The Celtics' two stars-small forward Jayson Tatum (team-high 21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals)-were both not nearly good enough to beat the defending world champions. 

    The scary part for the C's is that Giannis didn't even play that well offensively, shooting 9-for-25 from the field and missing five free throws (6-of-11) but he still affects the game in so many ways which is why he is currently the best basketball player on the planet. With small forward Khris Middleton out for the series, many people think that Milwaukee lacks another star behind Giannis which might be true but it hardly seemed to matter when point guard Jrue Holiday was awesome with a game-high 25 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. Bucks big man Bobby Portis added a double double with 15 points and 11 rebounds while that lowlife Grayson Allen notched 11 points and three steals off the bench. 

    Boston lacked any answers with Tatum and Brown each having lackluster performances. Center Al Horford had a double double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks while point guard Marcus Smart had 10 points, six assists and two steals. Backup point guard Derrick White was the only other Celtic in double figures with 10 points off the bench. The Celtics' defense gets plenty of hype but on the road, the Bucks held them to a ridiculous 33% shooting from the floor while they grabbed six more defensive rebounds (44-38), made three more steals (11-8) and turned the ball over five less times (18-13) than the sloppy home team. Time and again, Boston shot themselves in the foot as Milwaukee scored 21 more points off turnovers (27-6), 20 more fast break points (28-8) and five more second chance points (19-14). Finally, the Bucks also bullied them to the tune of 14 more points (34-20) in the paint as well.

    After doing basically whatever they wanted vs. Brooklyn, the Celtics appeared stunned to be pushed around so much by Milwaukee. In fact, the Bucks led really from start to finish: 27-24 after the first quarter, by 10 points at halftime (56-46) and 78-70 going into the fourth quarter. It's tough to call a Game 2 a must-win but would you like the Celts' chances of winning the series if they went to Milwaukee down 2-0? Me neither. You have to bank on Tatum and especially Brown being better on Tuesday (7, TNT) while Holiday doesn't figure to play so well. It will tell us plenty about Boston by how they respond to their first significant adversity of this postseason. Are they true contenders or just front-running frauds? Stay tuned on that.  

Boston Sweeps Brooklyn In A 116-112 Game 4 Win & Rolls To The Second Round Of The Playoffs

 

    Who had the Celtics being the only team to sweep their opponent (the Nets) in the first round of the NBA playoffs this postseason? What seemed hard to believe came true tonight at Barclays Center as Boston held off Brooklyn 116-112 to abruptly end the series 4-0 in favor of the C's. If you were worried about how the Celts would do in close games, this was the fourth time already this postseason that the contest was decided by single-digits. The Nets knew that it was over before this one had even started but they made it interesting in the fourth quarter as they outscored the Celtics 34-26. Boston advances to the second round for the fifth time in the last six seasons where they will likely face the Bucks who lead the Bulls 3-1 with Game 5 in Milwaukee on Wednesday night (7:30, TNT).  

    Just like Nets point guard Kyrie Irving (20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks) in Game 1, power forward Kevin Durant exploded for 39 points along with nine assists and seven rebounds. It took Durant 31 shots to get 39 points and he was 3-for-11 on three-pointers but it was still by far his best performance of the series. Likewise, Brooklyn's shooting guard Seth Curry added 23 points in his top outing in the four games. Power forward Nic Claxton had 13 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals but he broke Shaq's infamous playoff record by missing his first 10 (!!!) free throws of the night. Point guard Goran Dragic (10 points, 8 rebounds) was also good off of Brooklyn's bench one last time. 

    For Boston, shooting guard Jaylen Brown notched 22 points and eight rebounds while point guard Marcus Smart was great with 20 points, 11 assists and five rebounds and ageless center Al Horford added 13 points and six rebounds. Boston's bench was led by power forward Grant Williams (14 points, 3 blocks) and point guard Derrick White (9 points, 6 rebounds). The Nets certainly didn't want to go back to Boston for pointless Game 5 and for the first three quarters, the Celtics made sure of that. The C's led 30-26 after the first quarter and 58-50 at halftime. The C's were up double-digits going into the fourth quarter, as they led 90-78. Boston scored 12 more points in the paint than Brooklyn (44-32) and they grabbed seven more rebounds overall (45-38) including five more defensive boards (35-30) and two more offensive boards (10-8). 

    Considering that Milwaukee has blown out Chicago in the last two games, I fully expect them to beat the Bulls on Wednesday but it would be nice to see Chicago extend the series (don't count on that) and give Boston a little more rest not that they really need it after a sweep. Regardless whenever it starts, a Celtics-Bucks playoff series would be epic. Giannis is the best player in the world right now and even with shooting guard Khris Middleton-their other All-Star-out, Milwaukee is still the defending champ and a team that has given the Celts problems for years. This is why Boston pushed for that two-seed though, they will have home court for the next series which as we all know is typically a huge factor in the NBA playoffs.

The Celtics Have Officially Broken The Nets, Taking A 3-0 Series Lead With A 109-103 Game 3 Victory

 

    So it turns out that we should not have feared the Nets at all this postseason. They are complete frauds as proven by Boston's 109-103 win tonight in Game 3 of the first round at the Barclays Center to take a 3-0 series lead. Boston's superstar swingman Jayson Tatum (game-high 39 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, career-high 6 steals) was absolutely brilliant, shooting guard Jaylen Brown added 23 points, five assists and two steals while point guard Marcus Smart notched 14 points, six assists and two steals. Both of Brooklyn's stars were nowhere to be found as power forward Kevin Durant was held to 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and point guard Kyrie Irving had a similarly uninspiring performance of 16 points, nine assists and three steals in a must-win situation. Game 4 is Monday (7, NBC Sports Boston) at Barclays, you can hear the Nets mumbling "1-2-3 Cancun" already while head coach Steve Nash prepares to return to broadcasting Champions League soccer or some other random gig. 

    Given that no NBA team has ever rallied to win a playoff series when they have trailed 0-3, you figured that Brooklyn would show at least a little pride and play with some urgency from the start tonight. Not so much as Boston led 30-25 after the first quarter and 53-50 at halftime. The C's owned the third quarter (28-22) and hung on in the fourth quarter as the Nets made some three-pointers in garbage time to outscore them 31-28 in the final frame. One of the big storylines of this contest was the juxtaposition of Celts center Robert Williams returning less than a month after arthroscopic surgery on his knee while Ben Simmons continues to appear exclusively on Brooklyn's bench in his cartoonish outfits. Haha we'll see if he still returns in Game 4, what's the point? 

    Boston didn't get as much from their role players in Game 3 but those guys still made some valuable contributions: power forward Daniel Theis had nine points and six rebounds, center Al Horford's (2 blocks) lone basket was a clutch three-pointer in the fourth quarter, point guard Payton Pritchard notched 10 points off the bench for the second game in a row and power forward Grant Williams put up seven points and five rebounds in 32 minutes off the bench. Dorchester native and Nets small forward Bruce Brown was great yet again as he submitted a career-high for the second straight game with a team-high 26 points, eight rebounds and two steals, shooting guard Seth Curry had 10 points, center Nic Claxton (who should be starting!) added 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench while veteran point guard Patty Mills notched 12 points as a substitute. 

    Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has made Nash look like a fool in these first three games. I loved Nash as a player but he is so overmatched in this situation, he rolled with the same lineup in Game 3 and he appears incapable of making any type of in-game adjustments. Then again, what do you expect from a guy that had never been a head coach before this? Boston's defense was really good as they had six more steals than Brooklyn (13-7) and four less turnovers (18-14). The Celtics just outworked and outhustled the Nets, as they posted eight more points in the paint (50-42), 16 more fast break points (25-9) and 12 more points off turnovers (37-25). All three games in this series have been decided by single-digits but there has been no doubt who the better team is. Monday should be fun as I fully expect Brooklyn to fold like you read about.