Brogdon ruled out of Game 6
MIAMI >> Malcolm Brogdon tried playing through his right forearm injury but he was experiencing too much discomfort to play in the Celtics’ biggest game of the season.
The Celtics guard went through pregame warmups but was ultimately ruled out about an hour before tip off of Boston’s do-or-die Game 6 against the Heat on Saturday night. Brogdon reportedly suffered the injury in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. According to The Athletic, the C’s guard had a partial tear in the tendon coming out of his right elbow and leading to his forearm.
It didn’t seem to bother Brogdon initially as he scored 19 points in 37 minutes in Game 1 but the injury apparently worsened, and so did his play. Wearing a black sleeve on his forearm, Brogdon went scoreless on 0-for-6 shooting in 18 minutes in Game 3, then scored just two points in Game 4. Brogdon played eight minutes in the first half of Game 5 but left the game in the second half and did not return.
“He gave us the best he could, and we kind of went from there,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said after Game 5.
There seemed to be some optimism that Brogdon could suit up for Game 6 as he was listed as questionable on Friday. He was present at Saturday morning’s shootaround but didn’t seem to be doing much.
The absence of the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year was significant as the Celtics looked to force a Game 7.
Vincent returns
Heat guard Gabe Vincent was back for Game 6 after he missed Game 5 due to his left ankle sprain. He was in the starting lineup as the Heat made a lineup change, putting Caleb Martin in for Kevin Love.
Vincent crushed the Celtics through the first five games of this series, averaging 17.5 points per game on 50 percent shooting from 3-point range.
Grant stays ready
It seems crazy now that Grant Williams didn’t play in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but such has been this season for the fourth-year Celtics forward. Williams began the year in the rotation as he’s been for most of his career but slowly lost his spot in the second half of the season. But he has seemed to perform well in every opportunity he’s received in the postseason and he has regained his place as a key player in this series.
In Games 2-5, Williams averaged 10.3 points in 27.8 minutes per game while shooting 53.3 percent from 3-point range. It’s a credit to him continuing to stay ready whenever his name has been called.
“Just being there for your teammates, that’s the No. 1 thing, whether it’s on the floor or off,” Williams said. “For me, it’s just trying to stay mentally disciplined in my regimen, making sure I’m prepared both on and off the court, both diet and also with the actual workouts and stuff that I’m doing to stay consistent. And I think that I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of great teammates throughout this year, and they’ve had my back throughout anything that’s happened. It’s my job to do the same for them.”
Williams got some heat in Game 2 after he butted heads with Jimmy Butler, which helped the Heat star close out the Celtics in that game. But he has mostly been a net positive in this series and his teammates and coaching staff have continued to respect his approach and impact given his difficult situation.
“I think appreciate his
humility and professionalism to understand how it works and always be ready to play,” Mazzulla said. “We have each other’s back. We have a level of communication and trust with each other that we can just communicate exactly what’s going on. So from day one, he’s had a trust factor, he’s had a humility and a professionalism.”
Tatum gets the jitters
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that NBA players are human. Before Saturday’s Game 6, one of the biggest games of his career, Jayson
Tatum admitted some vulnerability.
“I get nervous before every game,” Tatum said. “Not like scared but a healthy level of anxiousness. First game of the season against Philly to now, I get nerves before every game.”
And not just playoff games.
“I guess there’s more stakes,” Tatum said. “More to gain, more to lose. But I get nervous/anxious before every game”
No excuses for Brown
It has not been the healthiest season — or playoff
run — for Jaylen Brown. The Celtics star suffered a facial fracture in February and was still wearing a protective mask during the postseason. He suffered a right hand laceration just before the playoffs began. And now, he’s been seen wearing an ice pack over his left wrist after shootarounds throughout the East finals.
Brown hasn’t been on any injury reports during the playoffs, and while he may be nursing some minor injuries, he’s been full go.
“At this point of the year, everybody got injuries,”
Brown said in an interview with NBC Sports Boston at Saturday’s shootaround. “I got injuries, all over, compiled, but I’ll never let that be an excuse. You’ll never hear no reports about me coming out, saying anything was bothering me. You come out, you play basketball, you leave it all out there.” …
Matthew Tkachuk and some members of the Florida Panthers, who advanced to the Stanley Cup Final last week, were in attendance for Game 6. Tkachuk and Tatum went to high school together in St. Louis.