Celtics
“I’m very lucky and lucky to be able to call Al a teammate.”
The Boston Celtics’ Al Horford is on the court for game 4 of the semifinals of the Eastern Conference. Photo by Stacey River / Getty Images
After a brutal, physical 4 game against the Bucks, the Celtics can thank Al Horford for helping even in the series with a 116-108 road victory.
The Celtics were on the ropes to enter the fourth quarter after another collapse in the third, but Horford scored 16 points in the period to bring them back. He plunged on Janice Adetokunmpo and roared at a restrained crowd in Milwaukee. He buried a pair of monstrous 3 points. He fired an incredible shot that fell when he was fouled, giving the Celtics a four-point lead.
Horford finished with 30 points in 11 shots against 14 and 5 for 7 from depth. He looks rejuvenated and the Celtics have a chance because of him. It’s not clear if his 3-point shot could stay that level (an impressive 53.5 percent in the postseason) or if some regression is inevitable, but the Celtics can thank the oldest player on the roster for giving them hope. Losses in Match 4 and the Celtics would collapse to the ground after flying high since January – a 3-1 loss to the defending champions.
Udoka said Horford’s performance “charged” the Celtics.
“He was great all year, but we really needed him to get stronger with the boys out there,” Udoka said. “He took him on his shoulders. They protect him in a certain way, he knows how to attack, he loves aggression and extra. ”
The Celtics regained the advantage on the home court and took the pressure off their shoulders. After Horford’s heroism, the series looks much different at 10:30 pm on Monday than at 9:20 am.
More places to go home
2. Jason Tatum struggled for most of the game, but downhill, when the Celtics needed a solid attack, he managed to gain several important possessions, including a monstrous 3-pointer and that slanted laying he impossible coveted through the net.
Tatum – who finished with 30 points in 11 to 24 shots – did not have a dominant performance in his rebound from Ugly Match 3 (4-for-19 from the floor), but he was great in the moments that mattered and helped the Celtics save their season .
“It’s finally getting into a good rhythm,” Udoka said. “I think probably with [Jaylen Brown] as an out and with the ball in his hands much more, he finally found a good rhythm. We found some actions that we liked about him, and then some isolations in which we don’t always carry the screen, we feel we can beat his man. Give him a little more space to work. He went down, became aggressive and started to knock down 3s. What he did all year. It took him a while to enter this match, but he finished well in the fourth, obviously especially with the absence of JB. “
As great as Horford was in Game 4, there is no guarantee that he can continue at this rapid pace, and Tatum himself has shown how important it is to have a player who can create his own buckets in the big moments. Horford led the Celtics four in the final quarter, but Tatum was the one to take them home.
“I played a terrible match 3 and we almost had a chance to win, and that was really the hardest part, just knowing that. So I was just really looking forward to coming back and getting ready to play, and whether it was scoring or not, I just went out and just played better at both ends of the floor, “Tatum said, sounding annoyed. “I’m doing what I can to help us win.”
3. Brown scored his fourth foul at the beginning of the third quarter, trying (and unsuccessfully) to keep Adetokunmpo. Brown struggled hard when the Celtics allowed him to move to Adetokunmpo in Game 3, so there were many warnings, but Brown was again faced with Adetokunmpo in many failures.
Maybe Brown didn’t like the little pressure of Adetokunmpo on his back in the fourth quarter, which made him throw Adetokunmpo’s conciliatory hand on his back, or maybe Brown was upset because Adetokunmpo spent most of the game chasing him. Both are plausible. Brown finished with 18 points in a 5 to 11 shot.
4. Marcus Smart scored several important baskets in the fourth quarter and seems to have realized that some Bucks games just can’t hold him. It will be interesting to see if the Celtics pursue these matches in the future.
“Everyone played great in different sections,” Tatum said.
5. Give the Celtics a lot of credit: They beat Bucks without Robert Williams, who was in knee pain.
6. Horford’s exchange last summer was justified long before Monday, but his performance in Match 4 showed how important this sensible move was for the Celtics’ success. In his post-match comments, Tatum somehow managed to sweeten the pot even more.
“Al was great for the team, Al was great for me,” Tatum said, emphasizing the second half. “I’ve been lucky to play with Al for three years and I remember coming to my new year and seeing Al Horford. I’ve seen him play all his life and it was great to see someone take care of his body, just be the best professional, the best teammate and everything about the right things. No one can ever say anything about Al, and he helped me a lot during the three years we played together.
I am very lucky and lucky to be able to call Al a teammate.
Horford’s stabbing with the remaining 9:51 turned out to be a decisive turning point.
“Energy changes when that happens,” Smart said.
The Celtics tied the game with a shot and a free throw, finishing in an 11-1 series that dates back to a three-pointer by Derrick White in the third quarter, which reduced the lead from 10 to seven after the break. The Celtics beat the Bucks 43-28 in a dominant fourth quarter.
Earlier in the game, Antetokounmpo took a technical to stab Horford and then barked something at him.
Horford nodded at Adetokunmpo after the game and continued to nod for a few seconds.
“I don’t really know what he told me, but I really didn’t like the way he looked at me and the way he prepared for it,” Horford said. “And I think at that point, something changed with me in the game.”
7. Something has changed in the series. Game 6 in Milwaukee is now certain, but first the two teams return to Boston.
“I feel good and I just can’t wait to go home, rest and just go back to Boston,” Horford said.
Tatum agreed.
“I’m excited to be back home, I’m excited to play in front of our fans on Wednesday,” he said. “Relax a little and get back to it.”
The Celtics have a chance to take the lead in the 3-2 series at TD Garden on Wednesday, expected at 19:00
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