One. More. Win.
The one thing you know deep down is that when it comes to the Boston Celtics you never really know what to expect. After the way Game 3 ended I think we all were under the impression that this team would come out mad and assert themselves in Game 4. When the exact opposite happened and all the momentum swung to the Raptors, it was probably the first time this entire playoff run I found myself getting a little nervous. How could they not respond? How could they play with no effort after everything that happened?
Enter Game 5.
You know the history of how important a Game 5 can be in a playoff series. You spent the day reading all the stats how the Celts were 12-1 under Brad in Game 5s and they had a great series record up 3-2. But deep down you couldn't shake that Game 4 effort. It was fair to wonder if they would actually come out guns blazing, or if they were mentally broken after the 0.5 disaster and then the wire to wire loss in Game 4. We needed to see this team punch back in a big way. We needed to see that they were able to put those bad losses behind them and actually respond well to adversity. The chatter around this series was that they were choking and this was now the Raptors' series to lose. They needed to correct that.
Boy did they.
What we witnessed in Game 5 is the team I remember. The one that is tough as nails defensively, guys flying around playing with great energy. The one offensively who got to their spots and only had a handful of moments where you wanted to pull your hair out. Watching the Celts play in Game 5 compared to Game 4 was like watching a completely different team. The biggest difference? They played with heart
So now they are back in the drivers seat, up 3-2 with the Raptors on the ropes. The series is far from over, but before we look ahead to Game 6, we first have to talk more about what we saw in Game 5.
The Good
- Few players had a rougher night than Jaylen in Game 4. A complete and total disaster from start to finish, on both ends. So it was only right that he responded with one of his best performances of the entire playoffs
Right away you could tell Jaylen had a more aggressive approach. Half of his 10 FGM came in the restricted area. Defensively he was much more locked in, finishing with 3 steals and doing a much better job of limiting Pascal Siakam offensively. That dunk he had over OG was his way of releasing all of his earlier frustrations. This version of Jaylen is the type of player that the Celts will need if they not only want to close out this series, but advance past the ECF. It's no surprise that his shot started falling as he gained more and more confidence and I thought it was very cool that Brad went right with his star wing from the jump. That's a coach that believes in his players and doesn't even worry about his previous struggles.
Now we just need to get this same version in Game 6.
- Kemba Walker was also really hard on himself for how he played in Game 4. He talked about not being aggressive enough and needing to be better at setting the tone. Sort of ya know….like this
Here's something I've learned watching this series. Kemba Walker can get any shot he wants against this Raptors defense. They can't stop him from getting to his spots. Even in Game 2 when he struggled from the field, they were all open looks. Kemba just wasn't making anything until the fourth. Their perimeter guards aren't quick enough, the second Kemba realizes he can get Gasol on a switch he blows by him with ease, and I think we can all agree by now that his knee is a non-issue. This is the Kemba we hoped to see in the playoffs and he has delivered time and time again. We haven't even seen him really shoot all that well from deep yet!
But if he continues to get into the paint at will, and does a good job of facilitating (7 assists) and not turning it over (2 TOs), the Raptors are in a world of trouble. I think it says a lot that in a game where the Celts backs were up against it a little bit, Kemba didn't turtle. Instead, he flourished.
- We need to take a second and talk about the Celts defense for a second. The biggest adjustment we saw from Brad was that he moved Marcus Smart to Kyle Lowry instead of Kemba. As we know, in the previous games Lowry took Kemba to the paint and abused him. Well how did Smart do? I dunno, this feels good
That changed everything. They took the Raptors most important piece and completely eliminated him from the game. That's the Marcus Smart I know and love. The Raptors were 1-10 from three in "tight" coverage, 4-14 on "open" looks from deep, and 7-15 from "wide open" looks. The Celts did a much better job of fighting through screens and sticking with shooters. How many times did we see someone like FVV come off a screen and want to go into his jumper only to have to pump fake because they defender stayed with him? About a billion. That's the energy and effort defensively I'm talking about. They were quicker to loose balls, they played like they gave a shit and the results showed up. Brad also had this to say pregame
Well, they held TOR to just 20/11% shooting in the first quarter and a ridiculous 11 points. In the third it wasn't as great with 57/36%, but by that time the game was basically out of hand.
- It's hilarious this team can have a win like we got and Tatum was only "meh" offensively
I will say his playmaking continues to improve as these playoffs go on which is nice. He's making reads and passes off the dribble that weren't there not too long ago. Sooner or later we'll get the offensive explosion, but in the meantime he's doing his job hitting the glass and finding his teammates.
- Another game the Celts win the rebounding battle, points in the paint battle, never trailed, never tied, and were up by as much as 30. Yes please.
- Good Marcus Smart is the definition of difference maker
There was no forcing threes, there was no sloppy turnovers. It was back to the type of Smart performance that you need in one of these hugely important playoff games. He finished 4-8, did a little bit of everything with his 12/7/6, and like I said earlier he completely removed both Lowry/FVV from the game. Beast.
- Surprise of the century was the performance of Brad Wanamaker
For some reason my mentions weren't filled with people begging that Wanamaker be thrown off the team. Weird how that works. Is he perfect? God no. But this was his Gerald Green random playoff game where he actually provides a spark off the bench. It's amazing what can happen when he stops traveling the second he catches the ball. You can't rely on this type of production on a consistent basis, but boy did it show up at the right time.
- Daniel Theis remains one of the most underrated big men in the entire NBA. When this team gets Good Theis, it changes everything
He dominated his matchup with Gasol, and only allowed 2 points to Serge Ibaka. Huge bounce back performance from him as well, especially since he was so poor in the fourth quarter of Game 4.
The Bad
- How could you possibly have anything to complain about in a game this team was up by 30 in? Easy. For starters, the Celts once again came out and looked brutal to start a third quarter. What's up with that shit? Nothing but poor shot selection and fouls. Luckily they were up by like 48 points or else the Raptors would have been back in the game. Just because it didn't come back to hurt them doesn't mean it isn't an issue. This is now the fourth game in a row they've come out flat in the third quarter. I don't get it but I know I don't like it.
- It did feel like the Celts were a little lazy when it came to defensive rebounding early. The Raptors finished with 10 OREB on the night and OG had 4 by himself. Jaylen needs to do a better job boxing out.
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- Only 8 minutes for Timelord. I know things were going great, but I'd still like to see him get more run. Mostly because the more time on the court he gets, the quicker he learns. You're going to have to rely on him at some point and I want him feeling as comfortable as possible.
The Ugly
- The War On Theis is so bad he can now get kicked in the face and it's just a common foul???
I mean what are we doing here. There were also a couple of bone job calls go against Theis defensively and it's truly one of the most remarkable things about this season. I get he fucked the wife of every single ref but still. This is getting a little out of hand.
- Nobody tell Nick Nurse that going small is the worst thing he can do against this Celtics team. Rough look for the Coach Of The Year to not recognize that lineup was getting smoked that he went back to it a second time only to surrender something like a 17-4 run.
Remember, the job is not done just because you are up 3-2. You need to win 4 to advance. The Raptors aren't going to just roll over and die. We've all seen the Celtics blow series despite having this lead. But I do know that if they play with the type of energy and effort we saw in Game 5, they should take care of business in 6. For the moment we exhale, but it's right back to being nervous as soon as we wake up tomorrow. Here we go.
3 down. 1 to go.