These C’s really get it
Close out Wizards in Game 7
Paul Pierce wasn’t exaggerating when he sent his advice to Isaiah Thomas last week. This really is hard, really is meant for only the privileged few.
Pierce’s former team really passed the test.
The Celtics beat the Washington Wizards, 115105, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at the Garden.
The C’s withstood a career playoff scoring high from Bradley Beal, channeling his inner Ray Allen for 38 points on 12-for-22 shooting, including 5-of-10 on 3-pointers, and another night of Thomas attempting to escape his minute-tominute diet of traps. They uncorked something truly improbable in the form of another playoff career high — this one in the form of 26 points off the bench from Kelly Olynyk, including a 14-point fourth quarter that nailed down the decision in his first Game 7.
“When I dreamed about (a Game 7), I dreamed about winning the game,” Jae Crowder said. “I didn’t dream about losing, I know that.”
Thomas had turned on some classic video featuring his latest guru, Pierce, playing LeBron James in his first Cleveland Cavaliers go-around in Game 7 of the 2008 conference semifinals on the C’s way to their 17th NBA title. And Thomas didn’t just watch. He binged.
“I thought about it a lot,” Thomas said. “All night last night and today I watched 2008 Paul Pierce vs. LeBron and how special that game was. Two superstars going at it, guarding each other. It was a historic game. I definitely did my studying and I knew it was going to be a big-time game tonight. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy at all. We came out on top. That says a lot about the team we are. We believe in each other. We just kept going.
“The game wasn’t always what we wanted it to be. It wasn’t a perfect game. But we kept going and stayed the course and that was what this team has done all season long. It’s a special moment for us, but we only have a little time to celebrate it and gotta focus on the Cavs.”
Indeed, the Celtics have an abrupt turnaround. Game 1 of the conference finals against James’ Cavaliers is tomorrow night at the Garden.
But first the Celtics had to put together their best game of this series against Washington, with big contributions from Thomas (29 points) to Olynyk to Marcus Smart (13 points, six rebounds, four assists).
A nine-point avalanche over the final 1:46 of the third quarter set up the big finish. Beal hit a 3-pointer for a 79-76 Wizards lead, but Thomas answered from downtown and came back with another trey. Smart finished off the quarter, off an Olynyk dish, with a corner 3 for an 85-79 Celtics lead.
Jaylen Brown, another bench player with an enormous influence on the outcome, opened the fourth with a reverse dunk over poster-boy Bojan Bogdanovic, and after Beal hit from 15 feet, Crowder (back cut off a Thomas feed), Olynyk (two free throws) and Thomas (3-pointer) brought the roof down with seven straight points for a 94-81 lead with 10:00 left.
Washington answered in a big way, starting with a Markieff Morris baseline jumper and with the big man following up a Marcin Gortat drive with a 3, cutting the Celtics lead to 9488 with 8:48 left.
Beal was now on fire and hit three straight shots to answer C’s hoops. His fourpoint play when he was fouled by Bradley while burying another trey made it a four-point game with 6:09 to play.
Olynyk finished at the rim, and after Smart kept a three-shot possession alive with his rebounding, Thomas finished it off with a circular drive around four Wizards. After a Beal free throw left the Celts up 10598, Olynyk scored out of the post, and when Morris finished off an alleyoop, Olynyk hit his second 3-pointer for a 110-100 lead with 3:25 left.
After a long scoreless stretch, Bradley stripped the ball from Beal, and down the other end Wall goaltended Crowder’s fastbreak finish to put the Celtics ahead by nine at 112-103 with 1:00 left.
“I think we just locked in,” Al Horford said.