The Boston Celtics finished off the defending NBA champions with defense, pure and simple.
And it should be noted that the Toronto Raptors are no defensive slouches themselves, having run a top-five defense in the league all season long despite the departure of superstar Kawhi Leonard to the Los Angeles Clippers over the summer.
Boston’s job putting the clamps on he clampers paid off big late in the game’s final frame as critical defensive sequences that saw veteran guard Marcus Smart block a potential game-swinging make by Toronto wing Norman Powell, and rookie forward Grant Williams shut down another potential series-shifting bucket by Fred Van Vleet.
That the Celtics were able to come away with the Game 7 win despite shooting 23.7% from beyond the arc and jus 56.2% from the free throw line ought to tell you just how importance defense was in this contest.
If you want to revisit the defense that got the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, or you just want to reminisce, watch the video embedded above for all of Boston’s Game 7 defensive highlights.
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