BOSTON – The Celtics are four wins from their trip to the NBA Finals.
That statement would have looked ridiculous in late January, when Boston was No. 10 in the Eastern Conference 23-24. But the Celtics ‘incredible turnaround continued on Sunday, as Grant Williams’ historic performance led to the defeat of the Milwaukee Bucks 109-81 in Game 7 of the East Semifinals at TD Garden.
Williams scored the highest of 27 career points and tied the NBA record in Game 7 with seven 3 points in 18 attempts. Jason Tatum added 23 points in 7 of 14 shots along with eight assists, while Jaylan Brown scored 19 points and Marcus Smart scored a record 10 assists.
Grant Williams set a record in Game 7 with a 3-point shooting skill
The win brings Boston to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three seasons. C will face No. 1 Miami Heat, with Game 1 scheduled for Tuesday.
Here are our conclusions from an exciting victory in TD Garden:
Batman to the rescue
The Bucks obviously had no interest in keeping Grant Williams on the 3-point line, and at first this strategy worked. Williams made just two of his first seven attempts for 3 points as the Bucks held close in the start.
However, Milwaukee continued to leave Williams open, and he eventually made them pay, making five of his last 11 attempts to finish 7 of 18 from a distance.
Williams’ 18 attempts with 3 points is a new record for game 7, breaking Stephen Curry’s record of 15 attempts.
The Bucks were wise to try to get the ball out of the hands of Tatum and Brown, but Williams was an excellent scorer with 3 points in the regular season (41.1 percent), so they played with fire, allowing Williams to get so many open eyes – and burned them.
Grant Williams with HUGE game 7
Live with the three of you
It’s not just Williams who knocks down outside blows for Boston.
The Celtics dropped 22 3 points in 55 attempts, breaking their own record in the playoffs, which they set in Game 1 of the series. Tatum went 5 out of 9 from deep until Peyton Pritchard came off the bench to hit 4 out of 6 3 points and gave a huge spark to C in the second half.
Milwaukee, meanwhile, was icy cold of three, scoring just four of its 33 3 points (12.1 percent) to give Boston a 66-12 lead on outside kicks.
The Celtics both won and lost matches in this series by shooting 3 points, but they did not deviate from their game plan – and in the end it won their series.
Help is needed for Janice
The Bucks shot 15.8 percent of three (3 vs. 19) in the first half, but were just five behind two-quarters behind and have their own superstar to thank.
Adetokunmpo scored or assisted on Milwaukee’s first 24 points and almost made a triple-double by halftime.
The Bucks star seemed to run out of gas in the second half, finishing low in the series with 25 points in 10 of 26 shots. Chris Middleton’s absence was obvious to Milwaukee throughout the series, but especially in Game 7, as the Bucks could not find a permanent result outside of Adetokunmpo and Jru Holliday (21 points).
While Adetokunmpo had a historic series (see below), the Celtics deserve a lot of credit for tiring him in seven games.
There is no time for the Lord of Time
Udoka’s name was no joke when he said that Robert Williams was available to play on a “need” basis in Game 7.
The Celtics’ big man didn’t see any time on the floor, although he was active for the first time since Game 3. There were moments earlier in the race when Boston could use Williams on the boards, but as the Cs extended their lead in the second halftime, there was no point in making him play and risk weighing down his left knee again.
Boston will face a tough challenge next round in Bam Adebayo and Heat, so Williams can use everything else he can get.
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