Celtics Pull Away in Second Half for Massive Game 7 Victory
May 15, 2022
The Celtics showed up at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon on a mission to vanquish the Bucks and extend their season, and that is exactly what they did. This team already faced the ultimate challenge on Friday night when they went into Milwaukee facing a 3-2 deficit, and rallied to tie the series and force a game 7 in Boston. After that, there was no way they couldn’t finish the job. The Celtics showed heart in this series, and especially in these last two games, that some weren’t sure existed, as they took the reigning champions’ best shot, and came out victorious. They came out with energy and aggression all game, suffocating the Bucks relentlessly until they pulled away for good in the second half. Ultimately, the Celtics got over the hump and ran away from the Bucks for a resounding 109-81 game 7 victory and a 4-3 series victory over the Bucks securing a meeting with the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Celtics started the game with the right amount of intensity, but shots weren’t falling early. Giannis Antetokounmpo looked like a man possessed, scoring or assisting on each of the Bucks first 24 points as they led 26-20 after one quarter. The Celtics got things rolling in the second quarter, hitting shots and ratcheting up the defense to smother the Bucks. Jayson Tatum looked focused and locked in from the start, splashing his first four three point attempts, while most of his teammates were cold. But Boston was able to hit a few down the stretch, and Marcus Smart drew a monstrous three shot foul on a full court heave with under a second on the clock, propelling them to a 48-43 halftime lead despite cold shooting.
After the break the floodgates opened up and it was all Celtics. The Celtics came out with the same energy, but now the shots started falling. Going into the series we all knew that the Bucks would dare the Celtics to fire up threes and in game 7 they were happy to oblige. Grant Williams was the main benefactor, being left open repeatedly. After missing a few early he appeared to get tentative, but Ime Udoka and his teammates told him to keep firing, which led to a team high (and personal best) 27 points on an eye-popping 7/18 three point attempts. Payton Pritchard also got a chance and took advantage, scoring 14 points off the bench and hitting 4/6 from three. Tatum’s stats don’t jump off the page, but he was clearly the best player on the court all game, controlling the ball, and setting up beautiful offense for his team, while picking his spots to attack and punishing the Bucks with timely shooting. Tatum finished with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists on 7/14 shooting and given the stakes and his level of composure, it was one of his most complete games as an NBA player. Jaylen Brown also contributed a solid two-way game, leading the charge in place of Tatum when necessary and chipping in 19 points and 8 rebounds on 8/16 from the field. Smart never got his shot going, but made huge contributions in every other aspect of the game, nearly achieving a triple double with 11 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds. Last but not least, there is no praise too lofty for Al Horford and the work he did in this series. He definitely started to wear down after his epic offensive performances in Milwaukee, and he may not have the legs to keep firing up shots, but Al was incredible all series long and his defense - especially on Giannis - made a world of difference.
As a team, the Celtics completely controlled the three point line, getting great looks all game, and drilling 22/55 attempts on the day, a Celtics game 7 record for makes. Meanwhile, the Celtics did not let up at all on the other end, forcing the Bucks offense to settle and force up contested looks, to the tune of just 4/33 from deep. That adds up to a 54 point differential in points from the three point line, which proved to be insurmountable. This is exactly how the Bucks wanted these games to go, but the Celtics were happy to oblige and were simply too much for the Bucks to handle.
After the first quarter, the Celtics did a phenomenal job of holding Giannis and the rest of the Bucks offense in check. The two stars finally appeared to tire and eventually crack as they had been carrying a ridiculous burden all series and the Celtics refused to give them an inch of breathing room all series. After his big first quarter, Giannis finished with just (lol) 25 points, 20 boards, and 9 assists on 10/26 from the field. Jrue Holiday was pestered almost as much as the Greek Freak and he finished with 21, 8, and 5 on 9/21 shooting. Beyond those two, there just wasn’t enough there. Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez each hit a few shots early, but Boston was happy to let them shoot and that offense disappeared quickly. Nobody else on the Bucks was able to do anything at all, as Grayson Allen, Wes Matthews, Pat Connaughton, and George Hill combined to score just 6 points on 2/17 shooting. This team clearly missed Khris Middleton, and the Celtics made sure not to allow any of the role players to step up and replace his production. It felt like the Bucks were playing 2 on 5 for much of this series, and while their two put up some amazing performances, it wasn’t enough to take down as complete a team as the Celtics.
This is the fourth trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in the last six seasons for the Celtics, but it’s fair to say things feel different this time around. Tatum and Brown have played in many playoff games, but this was their first go round as the clear-cut leaders and best players. They’ve checked every possible box thus far, dismantling the preseason favorites in round one, and outlasting the defending champs in round two. Smart finally got the chance he has craved to be the starting point guard of this team, and he has responded by leading them to the ECF in his first year. Al Horford returned to Boston and proved that he can still play at a high level and at times even dominate in the playoffs; it doesn’t look like he’s lost a step. And every role player up and down the roster has proven worthy of the patience they have been afforded. Of course, there is also rookie head coach, Ime Udoka. He has been rock solid and consistent all year long and everything he preached has come to fruition. However this run ends up, the Celtics have found one hell of a coach.
Now we are set for another matchup with the Miami Heat, the team that knocked off the Celtics two years ago to make the finals in the bubble. Many of the faces remain the same, as the Heat are still led by Jimmy Butler and an improved Bam Adebayo, along with sixth man of the year, Tyler Herro. They’ve added shooters all over the floor, a dirt dog in PJ Tucker, and the floor general to bring it all together in Kyle Lowry. Lowry has been dealing with injuries pretty much all season and missed time last series (he barely looked playable when he was on the floor). The Celtics are still led by Tatum, Brown, and Smart, but pretty much everything else has changed. Those three players have all taken drastic strides and made absurd improvement from where they were as players in the bubble. On top of that, Al Horford wasn’t with the team, and Grant and Robert Williams had not emerged as reliable options at that point. The entire front line for Boston looks different, and that should go a long way in containing Adebayo. The Celtics also no longer have a defensive liability in Kemba Walker. Walker got torched in that series, but now there is nobody for the likes of Butler and Herro to attack. The Celtics are a LOT better suited to deal with the physicality and toughness of the Heat this time around and they rightfully enter the series as favorites despite Miami holding home court advantage.
This certainly won’t be an easy series, as much like Boston, Miami likes to muck things up defensively, running a similar switching scheme and forcing opposing offenses to beat them with precision and execution. But there is nobody for the Heat to hunt on offense and if the Celtics stay disciplined and don’t over-help, they should be able to corral the Heat and force them into a lot of contested jump shots. We can’t forget about the coaching matchup, as Erik Spoelstra is arguably the best coach in the NBA. He will throw everything he’s got at the Celtics, trying to confuse them with different matchups, zones, and schemes. This is going to be a dogfight, and no outcome would surprise me. As much as the Celtics appear to be the better team on paper, these are the types of situations where the Heat thrive. The last thing Boston can do is take their foot off the gas and have a letdown after vanquishing Giannis and the Bucks in epic fashion. The job is not done yet, and the Heat will be more than up for the challenge. The Celtics need to have a similar approach and hunger for this series from the jump. It will all get underway Tuesday night in Miami. This has been one hell of a ride so far; let’s keep it rolling and get eight more wins.
Ben Handler