Tag: east semis

WATCH: Marcus Smart’s Celtics-Heat East Finals Game 1 highlights

Watch all of Marcus Smart’s best moments from the Boston Celtics Game 1 loss to the Miami Heat in the East Finals on Tuesday.

They might have come in a loss, but Boston Celtics veteran guard’s 43 minutes of game time shows how much his team trusts and relies on him.

And they’ll need his best to avoid another L against their East Finals opponent, the Miami Heat.

Even with Boston up 14 points in the fourth quarter, Miami came back to win 117 – 114 in overtime as ISOball largely shut the Oklahoma State product out of the offense late in the game.

Smart was perhaps the hottest hand of the night for the Celtics, scoring 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including 6-of-13 from beyond the arc.

On a night when his teammates struggled to connect, it’s a shame more of the offense wasn’t channeled through the Texan, even if he’s still not always thought of as a primary offensive option given his career’s focus on the other end of the ball.

Watch all of Smart’s best plays from Tuesday night’s loss to Miami while we wait for Thursday — and revenge.

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WATCH: Jaylen Brown’s Celtics-Raptors East Semis full series highlights

Watch all of Boston Celtics star shooting guard Jaylen Brown’s highlights vs. the Toronto Raptors in the East Semis in this video.

It might not have been the most efficient stretch of his career, but Boston Celtics star shooting guard Jaylen Brown still managed to shine against the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Cal-Berkeley product still shot a healthy 86.4% from the line on 3.1 attempts per game throughout the series despite being held to 28.1% from beyond the arc and 42.6% overall.

And against a cagey veteran defense like Toronto’s, it makes sense that Brown’s shot was bothered — even still, he managed to score 20.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game over the seven-game series.

Boston will need Brown to continue attacking from all three levels to have their best shot at advancing past the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals, and they start that attempt today at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Until tip-off, watch the video embedded above to see all of Brown’s highlights from the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

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CLAB 15: Previewing the Miami-Boston Eastern Conference Finals

Tune in as we break down what to expect from the series ahead, as well as a quick look back and around the rest of the NBA postseason.

The Boston Celtics survived the Toronto Raptors only to collide with the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Their third trip to this stage in four seasons, in this episode of the Celtics Lab podcast, we break down what we ought to be expecting from our Floridian foes in the Celtics’ quest to hang Banner 18.

Who guards who? Who wins the battle of the coaches? And how many wins will it take for the Celtics to advance? Will the Celtics advance?

Join Celtics Lab’s Topher Lane, Off the Glass’ Alex Goldberg, Celtics Hub’s Cam Tabatabaie and Celtics Wire’s Justin Quinn as they dive into the coming series in roundtable format while getting us up to speed on all the other playoff action.

And as always, if you like what you hear, please rate us five stars — and if you have a bone to pick with something, let us know in a comment on any social media platform with the hashtag #CLPOD.

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WATCH: Jayson Tatum’s full Celtics-Raptors Round 1 highlights

Watch all of Boston Celtics All-Star swingman Jayson Tatum’s best plays from the team’s second round series vs. the Toronto Raptors.

Ahead of Boston Celtics All-Star small forward Jayson Tatum’s performance against the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, there were still lingering questions about whether the Duke product had made the leap to superstardom.

Seven games later, Tatum emerged from the series more clearly in that elite company than ever, having averaged 24.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and a steal per game on 42.3% overall shooting and 39.5% from beyond the arc in the series.

That the St. Louis native accomplished all of this while being targeted by one of the NBA’s best defenses is more than impressive.

The Celtics will need Tatum to continue producing at such lofty levels for the duration of Boston’s time in the Disney restart bubble if they want to continue advancing towards Banner 18.

And the next chapter of that push begins Tuesday against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals; watch the video embedded above to keep your daily ration of Celtics basketball coming while we wait.

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WATCH: Jaylen Brown’s Toronto Raptors-Boston Celtics full highlights

Watch all of Boston Celtics star shooting guard Jaylen Brown’s highlights from the team’s 92-87 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

Boston Celtics veteran shooting guard Jaylen Brown may still be struggling a bit from beyond the arc — he went just 1-of-7 from 3-point range in the team’s big Game 7 win over the Toronto Raptors Friday — but he’s still finding ways to contribute to his team’s push towards the NBA Finals.

The Cal-Berkeley product would put up 21 points on 10-of-17 shooting overall (a very respectable overall rate, we might add) while pulling down 8 rebounds, dishing a pair of assists and stealing the ball four times in Boston’s brutal win over the defending champs.

Brown played for 43 minutes total, tied with teammate Marcus Smart and trailing only Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker (each with 44 minutes), putting the clamps on the Raptors’ primary scorer, Pascal Siakam.

Who he held to just 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

After the Georgian’s — and his teammates’ — outstanding play, Brown and the Celtics will face the Miami Heat on Tuesday in the Eastern Conference Finals.

If you need something to keep you busy until then, or just want to relive Brown’s play from Friday, watch the video embedded above.

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Smart’s Game 7 block iconic of value he brings to Boston Celtics

Boston’s Marcus Smart may have saved the game and the season with his block of the Toronto Raptors’ Norman Cook in the Celtics Game 7 win Friday.

There’s no victory in the Boston Celtics series against the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the 2020 East Playoffs without Marcus Smart, and the block he made in the game’s final minute against Raptors guard Norman Powell is just the exclamation point on why.

“That block was so special — it was unreal,” related teammate Kemba Walker after the win. It wasn’t just Smart’s defense that won the day — he had plenty of help, and a times from surprising corners.

Key plays by rookie teammate Grant Williams down the stretch and solid defense from second-year center Robert Williams III combined to cover for teammate Daniel Theis, in foul trouble late.

But that block in particular is one of the key turning points of a game filled with them.

“That’s why he’s first-team all-defense,” Walker added. “He shows it night in and night out. He made so many huge plays tonight. A lot of the things he does just go unnoticed … he’s special, man. He’s on a different level at that end of the basketball court.”

Also of note is the eerie similarity to a sequence late in Game 6 that saw Smart face off with Powell in that game’s waning seconds, the Toronto guard converting the old-fashioned 3-point play to help secure a win.

“That block is funny, because as soon as Norman caught the ball, instantly I remembered last game where that exact same play he came at me full-court and got the and-one,” recounted Smart. “[It was a] close game, and it put them up I think three. So when he caught the ball in my mind, I’m like ‘he has to dunk it, I’m not going to give a foul, I’m just going to meet him up top, and we’ll see who wins that battle.'”

“I’ll bet on myself 110% of the time — I’m First Team on defense for a reason, and I believe in that wholeheartedly,” added Smart.

Boston fans — and his teammates — tend to agree wholeheartedly.

“The hustle, the block, the toughness, offered head coach Brad Stevens, “he’s a huge part of our team. He’s a huge part of our organization.

“I said this before the playoffs, we’ve got a chance to play in [the playoffs] every year he’s been here, and it’s not a coincidence.

At this point in Smart’s tenure — the longest of any current Celtic — that is abundantly clear.

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Walker: Celts a ‘special group’ who ‘fought, clawed’ for win vs. Raps

The Boston Celtics are special for Kemba Walker — special for how hard they play together, and for how far they’ve come.

“Unreal,” exclaimed Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker. “It feels unreal!”

“It’s a great feeling,” he added when asked about his emotional state after a grueling Game 7 win over the Toronto Raptors in the East Semis on Friday evening.

No stranger to deep postseason runs at the college level — he did win 11 straight games to carry UConn to its third NCAA title in 2011, after all — he is still getting accustomed to the NBA version as a mentor of sorts to his younger teammates.

But he’s also a student of sorts, given young wings Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have both been to the East Finals before.

Walker’s previous team (the Charlotte Hornets) never cleared the first round in his time there.

“It took us seven games,” he explained, to underscore the challenge.

“It’s a special group we have, but we fought, clawed — much respect to Toronto. Those guys are tough; They know how to play. They play hard, but we stuck with it.”

“I’ve been in the playoffs two times before this, so from that and the last time I was in the playoffs was five years ago,” Walker explained.

“So to be here in my first year and accomplish this thing, when I went to the Eastern Conference Finals to play against a really good Miami Heat team — and we have a chance to advance past that. It’s big-time; it’s a special feeling for me.”

“It feels good to be able to play meaningful basketball,” he added.

“I’m super excited, but can’t get too high, you know?” observed Walker, invoking his inner Brad Stevens. “It feels good, we’re definitely going to celebrate a little tonight, but we’ve got work to do.”

What comes next for the New Yorker and the Celtics?

“We just finished playing these guys,” said Walker. “We’re going to take our time, rest our bodies up, take a few days and get prepared for a great team.”

The former Husky had some praise for the fallen Raptors as well.

“Those guys, they balled last series,” said Walker. “Those guys are nothing to play with.”

Until Tuesday, the Bronx native and Boston can relax a little and enjoy the hard-fought win.

And then the struggle begins anew.

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WATCH: Jayson Tatum’s Boston Celtics-Toronto Raptors Game 7 highlights

Watch all of Boston Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum’s highlights from the team’s Game 7 win over the Toronto Raptors.

In arguably the most important game of his still-young career, Boston Celtics All-Star small forward Jayson Tatum flashed his superstar skills again at a critical moment, helping to power his team to a 92 – 87 win over the Toronto Raptors.

In 44 minutes of play — tied with veteran point guard Kemba Walker — the Duke product put up 29 points on 9-of-23 shooting, including a healthy 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Tatum also pulled down 12 boards, dished 7 assists and had a steal and a block for good measure, getting to the free throw line 10 times, converting 7.

 

Taken together, it was enough to get the Celtics to their third Eastern Conference Finals in four seasons, the St. Louis native’s second of his career.

So, whether you missed the game last night, or just want to relive the action without the nail-biting tension, watch the video embedded above.

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WATCH: Boston Celtics-Toronto Raptors Game 7, Round 2 full highlights

Watch all of the highlights of the Boston Celtics winning Game 7 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Toronto Raptors in this video.

The Boston Celtics survived the defending NBA champions’ very best in a 92-87 Game 7 win as the Toronto Raptors fell to the Celtics, and Boston advanced to their third Eastern Conference Finals in four seasons.

They will face the Miami Heat in the next round, but they wouldn’t have gotten there without some huge contributions from their players.

All-Star swingman Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 29 points, 12 rebounds, 7 rebounds, a steal and a block with 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, while fellow wing Jaylen Brown put up 21 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals on 10-of-17 shooting,

Marcus Smart added 16 points and 6 assists, and Kemba Walker scored 14 points, 6 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals and a block.

Some crucial defense by big men Daniel Theis, Robert Williams III and Grant Williams helped secure the game in the second half, which was especially critical with the team having one their worst nights of the season from deep.

Watch the video embedded above to see all of the best moments of this epic closeout game for Boston.

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Boston Celtics survive Raptors best, advance to East Finals, Heat

The Boston Celtics survived a furious assault by the defending champs, the Toronto Raptors falling to the Celtics 92-87.

We all knew this series would go seven games, deep inside.

The question ahead of the Game 7 Eastern Conference Finals showdown between the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors was simply which one of the two behemoths will advance to the Conference Finals vs. the Miami Heat.

Boston won the tip, but Toronto scored first, a Kyle Lowry 3 getting the contest started. Jayson Tatum got the Celtics on the board off an assist by Kemba Walker. The two teams traded buckets early, Boston taking its first lead off of a Marcus Smart make at 6-5.

A layup from Robert Williams III and a trey from Tatum gave the Celtics a four-point cushion, forcing a Raptors timeout. Boston came out of the timeout hot, Smart hitting a 3, followed by a make by Brown to give the Celtics a nine-point lead.

Another trey from Smart threatened to break the game wide open, but Fred Van Vleet answered back with one of his own. The Raptors chipped away at the lead with a bucket from Serge Ibaka and a dunk from Norman Powell, OG Anunoby completing a 9-2 run to force a Celtics timeout.

A pair of 3s from Matt Thomas and Ibaka wrested back the lead from Boston as the two teams would go back to trading makes, with Semi Ojeleye nailing a 3 for the Celtics to close out the first quarter trailing 27-27.

Boston began the second frame with Brown scoring off a Walker assist, Pascal Siakam returning the favor on the next possession. Ibaka gave the Raptors a 33-29 lead with a flush at the 9:30 mark, and a Van Vleet make would push the lead to six.

Brown stopped the bleeding, and Time Lord slammed home a dunk to cut the lead to four, but Walker would foul Ibaka on a 3, the big man converting them all to give Toronto a 40-33 lead. A Tatum dunk and a Smart make cut the lead to three, then take a 41-40 lead with 3:30 left in the half.

Another trey from Brown gave Boston breathing room, and Walker heating up pushed the lead to six. The Raptors didn’t let up however, Marc Gasol getting to the line and Van Vleet scoring on the last possession of the half to go into the break the Celtics up 50-46.

The penultimate quarter started with a filthy Tatum stepback and a make by Brown to push the lead to nine. Toronto would cut it back to four off a Lowry and-1, but Tatum answered back with another 3, and Theis pushed it right back to 60-51.

A trip to the line for Anunoby to three, and an Ibaka layup to one, both teams exchanging blows like a scene out of Rocky. A Smart three-point play gave Boston a small cushion, but a Van Vleet 3 would give the Raptors a 68-67 lead with 1:45 to play.

Walker would steal the lead right back on the next play, and Powell and Tatum hit back-to-back 3-pointers to send the Celtics into the final frame up just one point at 72-71.

The Celtics began the final frame with a 3 from Walker and a layup from Theis to put Boston up six. Tatum would complete a 7-0 run after a steal by Theis. A scary slip for Brown put every Celtics fan’s heart in their throat, but he emerged seemingly okay.

Van Vleet would cut the lead to five with a 3, and Walker would push it to 84-78 with six minutes to play on a 3-point play, forcing a timeout. A Tatum two out of the timeout pushed the lead back to nine. Siakam would cut the lead to six with just under four to go, but Smart got himself to the line, converting one.

Lowry scored with two to play to cut it four with two left in the game, then got himself to the line a few plays later to cut the lead to 89-87 with a minute to play. The Raptors guard would foul Grant Williams, burning a challenge on the call, which would stand.

Williams missed them both, but Tatum would be fouled going after a loose ball, converting one. Walker would be fouled next, converting both for the 92-87 win, Boston advancing to the eastern Conference Finals to face the Miami Heat.

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