Williams opens up after missed FTs, criticism
In the wake of his missed last-second free throws at Cleveland, which would have clinched a critical Celtics win Monday night, Grant Williams draws on the death threats.
The death threats he said he received amid a serious slump two seasons ago, the worst of his play bringing out the worst in fans. He remembers how he felt and then rebounded following a simple game plan.
It’s the same plan Williams is executing now, after declaring he would make both foul shots against the Cavs before they fell away in an eventual overtime loss that sparked an avalanche of outside criticism.
“I’ve learned playing this sport long enough now that you can’t ever give people the satisfaction in a way,” Williams said before Wednesday’s game against Portland. “There’s always going to be somebody saying something about you. My second year, I was getting death threats. … You’ve gotta tune it out.”
Williams did not meet with reporters after Monday’s loss. On Wednesday, he insisted the misses were not affected by jawing with Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell at the line or the surrounding rowdy scene in Cleveland.
“No, I just missed,” Williams said. “It was one of those things where in those moments you focus on nothing besides just the shot. And I didn’t do a great job of giving myself a chance. I feel like I was super locked in and focused and confident saying I would make ’em both.”
Entering Wednesday’s tip-off, Boston had lost four of its last five games, during which time Williams eclipsed 18 minutes just once. He averaged more than 26 minutes per game in January and February. Lately, Williams said he’s been staying off social media to focus on the Celtics’ final stretch of the season.
Williams added his confidence is unshaken, and he’s looking forward to meaningful regular-season games before a playoff run. The 24-year-old played a key role in the team’s run to the Finals last year, particularly during a tight sevengame second-round series versus Milwaukee. The Celtics are currently chasing the Bucks to reclaim the No. 1 seed in the East.
“It’s one of those things where you’ve played enough basketball now that it’s one of things where you’ve made those shots before and you’ve missed ’em, So you can’t get too hung up on that one game,” Williams said. “You’ve got to just focus on the next opportunity, which is something that in the league it’s fortunate because you’ve got a lot of them.”
He later added: “It would’ve been great to get that win. You’ve gotta be critical of yourself because you don’t ever want that situation to ever happen again, but I’ve learned I just have to keep the right mentality because otherwise you lose yourself.”
Williams traveling to West Coast
Robert Williams will travel with the Celtics on their upcoming West Coast trip, coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters Wednesday.
Williams has been out since suffering a hamstring injury last Friday against the Nets. He remains on schedule to return within 7-10 days from his diagnosis last weekend, putting him on track to play at Houston on Monday at the earliest. The Celtics will follow with tip-offs at Minnesota next Wednesday and Portland next Friday.
Williams has been limited to 28 games this season due to a variety of injuries. He’s averaging 8.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks on 24 minutes per game.
Billups on Smart
Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was one of the NBA’s toughest perimeter defenders during his playing days.
So it was no surprise that one of the league’s preeminent defensive players, Marcus Smart, reached out to Billups a few years ago to elevate his game. Before Wednesday’s game, Billups expressed how proud he is of Smart, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
“Making guys better, seeing things before they happen, just making winning plays. We all know that’s just what he is. Defensively, he does it the whole game,” Billups said. “I just think before a couple years ago, people didn’t really respect his playmaking as much. He’s a really incredible passer, he’s incredibly unselfish.
“I think he’s the straw that stirs the drink here.”
Odds and ends
Backup guard Payton Pritchard missed Wednesday’s game with a heel injury. Pritchard has sat for three of the team’s last five games … Asked to identify the source of the Celtics’ struggles as of late, Mazzulla said: “Our defense in the last three games, since the All-Star break, is 30th in transition. We’re 25th in free throw rate, and we’re 25th in offensive rebounding. So amongst all the other stuff, if we fix those three things we’ll be back to normal.” … In an interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub on Wednesday, Mazzulla revealed he used to tape his mouth shut before bed to help him sleep amid all the rigors of an NBA season. Mazzulla said he now wears a mouthpiece.