Just another bounce-back
C’s haven’t lost consecutive games since end of March
The Celtics last lost consecutive games on March 28 and March 30 to Toronto and, curiously enough, Miami.
Since a Jan. 6 loss to New York — generally acknowledged by players and coaches as the low point that triggered a wild season-closing run — they have only lost consecutive games twice.
But thus far not in the playoffs. Thursday night’s Game 2 rout of Miami — following a Game 1 loss that featured a garish thirdquarter collapse — was a replay of their Game 2 win over Milwaukee in the previous conference semifinals series.
They remain the second-half team that refuses to give in. The Celtics had enough of that failing in the first half. At 24, Jayson Ta- tum has already seen just about everything short of a trip to the NBA Finals, and he finds something inspiring in all of this.
“Since I’ve been in the NBA, the difference be- tween the years that we’ve been really good and not so good, (is) just how you respond,” the Celtics star said after his 27-point perfor- mance Thursday night.
“You’re not going to win every game you play. There are really good players and really talented teams in the NBA,” said Tatum. “But I think the sign of a good team is how you respond after losses, especially tough ones. It just kind of shows the character of the group. We’ve done a really good job most of the year responding after tough losses and situations.”
Having nullified Miami’s home-court advantage, at least for a moment, the Celtics
now return to Boston for Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday, both in front of the Garden’s typical raucousness.
“That’s what our team is about,” Al Horford said of the Celtics’ ability, with himself and Marcus Smart back in the lineup, to shut down Miami after their Game 1 stumble. “We’ve been talking about this a bit since January, when we really started getting at it and kind of creating that identity and how we wanted to play, that’s who we’ve been. We understood it was an important game tonight. They obviously beat us that Game 1, and for us it was just important to come out and get this win at all costs.”
Significant stats
Our stat guru, Dick Lipe, uncovered some interesting numbers from the Game 2 win.
The Celtics became the first team in NBA playoff history to shoot .500/.500/.900 with at least 20 made 3-pointers.
It was also the first time Smart has ever posted a double-double in consecutive games, regular season or playoffs. Smart, with 24 points, 12 assists and three steals, became only the second Celtic to ever record those totals in a playoff game.
Larry Bird went 29/12/3 on June 8, 1986 against Houston in the NBA Finals.
Butler regroups
The Celtics can certainly count on a re-loaded Jimmy Butler Saturday night.
“I don’t like to move on from this because it has to hurt. They tried to embarrass us. They did embarrass us,” said the Miami star. “So I think we got to realize that, use it as fuel, whatever you want to say, but realize the game can get out of hand when you’re playing against a really good team like them that can score the ball and get stops. Overall, we have to be better. We have a tough job to do to go over there and win, but if they did it, we can do it, as well.”
Smart, who took on the bulk of the responsibility for guarding Butler — the
Miami wing still scored a game-high 29 points — understands that the Miami star will likely play even better in a hostile environment.
“It’s tough. Jimmy is a warrior, man. Jimmy has been doing this for a long time. He understands the game,” said Smart. “He understands his strengths. He understands his team’s strengths. So when you have a guy who has an IQ like Jimmy, it’s always going to be a tough matchup. It’s a good one.
“I love going up against Jimmy any time I can. As a defensive player, as a competitor, he’s going to make you work and he’s going to make you better. We knew it was tough. For me my assignment was just to make everything tough for him. We knew he was going to hit some shots. If he did, he had to work for them. That’s just where I came in. It was a full team effort, it wasn’t just me. I had some help from everybody. We all threw some guys at him, and we all had a chance. That’s what it comes down to. Everybody is all pros, we’re all good, we are going to make tough shots, we just want to make it as hard as possible for them.”
Grant Williams progress
As much as Celtics players and coaches alike enjoy poking fun at Grant Williams’ youthful enthusiasm, he’s also commanding their respect. His 19-point performance on Thursday was, per usual, vital to sustaining offense.
“Obviously Grant is just — he just came a long way from his first year,” said Tatum. “He’s worked on his game, and he’s developed into somebody that we believe and trust in to catch it at half court, he sees an opening, take it to the hole, make the right play. That’s what he did.”