When Grant Williams checked into Wednesday’s Game 2 with 5:09 left within the first quarter, Joel Embiid was heading to the bench on the identical time. But when Embiid returned with 1:05 to go, Williams had a message for the 76ers star and newly-minted NBA MVP.
“For me, it’s just a matter of trying to make them work,” the Celtics ahead stated. “That’s what I basically said to him. I’m here to make you frustrated and continue to make this hard for you every single night.”
Williams backed up his phrase. He didn’t give Embiid an inch of house, urgent up towards the massive man – who hovered over him by about six inches – like an irritant, although that backfired on their first play matched up collectively. Embiid caught a move on the high of the important thing and when he felt a slight bump from Williams, exaggerated the contact and went crashing to the ground. Williams was whistled for a foul and stood there for a second in some disbelief.
But that play was an outlier for Williams, who had his finest total recreation in current reminiscence. He and Al Horford led the cost defensively towards Embiid, limiting him to simply 15 factors and three rebounds in 27 minutes in his return as they helped rejuvenate the Celtics’ protection with a desperately wanted efficiency. Williams additionally drained 4 3-pointers and had 4 assists as he completed a plus-22 – the perfect of the Celtics bench – in 29 minutes, probably the most he’s performed in a month.
Not coincidentally, that recreation one month in the past additionally got here towards the 76ers. After falling out of the rotation through the second half of the season, Williams’ function is ready to extend throughout this collection with Embiid again because the fourth-year ahead reveals his worth as a bodily and versatile defender who can match up with the 76ers star and change as wanted.
“Grant plays a role on our team,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla stated. “When he plays, when he shoots the ball at a high clip and doesn’t pass it up, we need him to shoot it, and he did a great job of that tonight. He has the ability to guard different guys and execute different matchups with different coverages for us, and at his best just brings a level of physicality and a level of poise to our team. I thought he did a great job of that tonight.”
It’s been a irritating season for Williams, whose enjoying time has declined throughout a contract yr. But Mazzulla and his Celtics teammates have continuously praised Williams’ professionalism by way of tough occasions and maintained they’d nonetheless want him of their pursuit of a championship.
That has regarded completely different than anticipated, however Williams has pounced on his playoff alternatives up to now. He got here up massive in crunch time within the Celtics’ Game 6, series-clinching win over the Hawks within the first spherical and his influence was felt in every single place of their Game 2 blowout win over the Sixers.
“We definitely missed that Grant, and we’re constantly letting him know that we need that Grant,” Marcus Smart stated. “Grant is a big, big part of the equation for us and he’s going to help us win a lot of games. And we’re going to need him. We’re going to need him to stay confident and we’re going to need him to play exactly how he played tonight.”
Mr. Hustle
A chest contusion and a few protecting padding didn’t deter Smart from flying round and diving for free balls in Game 2. On one play within the third quarter, Smart dove for a free ball solely to be landed on by Embiid, leading to a proper shoulder and a lower lip.
A day later, these performs helped clarify why Smart was named the winner of the NBA Hustle Award on Thursday. The Celtics level guard gained the award – which is determined primarily based on hustle stats like diving for free balls, prices drawn and deflections – for the second consecutive season and third time in seven seasons because it was created.
“Every single night he brings a commitment to being physical, to being the hardest playing guy on the team,” Mazzulla stated. “And what’s good about him is his ability to be physical and, at the same time, be detailed in his defense and his scouts and his preparation. He’s just the spearhead of our defense. And so we’re very fortunate to have him.”
Knocking the rust off
Some had been skeptical of the 76ers bringing Embiid again prior to anticipated for Game 2 when he wasn’t one hundred pc recovered from his sprained knee, given they’d already secured a win in Boston and took home-court benefit. Both Embiid and Sixers coach Doc Rivers admitted the massive man was rusty in his return. But Embiid thought there was a profit to doing it in Game 2 as a substitute of Game 3.
“I was supposed to be out for 4-6 weeks so I’m not going to be 100 percent for the whole time or I’m not going to be fully healed for the whole time,” Embiid stated. “I felt pretty good to play and I felt like I could help the team defensively and offensively. … I just felt like it probably would have been the same result if I were to come back in Game 3, probably rusty and not myself. But I feel like we got this out of the way and I’m disappointed about a loss but that’s a step towards getting back to myself.”
Embiid will settle for the MVP trophy earlier than Game 3 in entrance of what’s anticipated to be an electrical Philadelphia dwelling crowd. With that power mixed with the rust being gone, a a lot better model of Embiid will doubtless observe.
“He’s the MVP, man,” Williams stated. “He’s a phenomenal player. Tonight, it was one of those games. First game back. I expect him to be even better the next game.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com