Skip to main content

Brad Stevens goes with rookie, Grant Williams, in critical third quarter

Image
By

Sluggish third quarters have plagued the Boston Celtics in Games One and Two of the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Miami Heat. In Boston's 117-106 victory last night, coach Brad Stevens went with his small-ball center, rookie Grant Williams at the 9:22 juncture of the third quarter.



Williams wasted no time getting on the board, hitting a 3-pointer from the corner 21 seconds after entering the game. He scored again, this time on a hook shot under the basket - grabbed a defensive rebound - and made a key steal before being replaced at the 1:49 mark.

Inserting the 6'6" rookie against Bam Adebayo in the critical third quarter of a do-or-die Game 3 tells us a lot about Grant's future with the Celtics. His post-season production doesn't jump off the page (3.4 PPG, 1.6 RPG), but in 10.7 minutes per game, he is shooting .600 from the field and .625 from beyond the arc.


Williams plays the game with energy and enthusiasm, and he shows a lot of poise for a first-year player. Semi Ojeleye never left the pine last night, and his .250 playoff accuracy from the field and .217 from deep may be part of the reason. Neither player is expected to be anything close to a volume scorer, but it seems that Grant can be counted on to connect on his rare shot attempts.

It just may turn out that Grant Williams may turn out to be that 3-and-D guy to come off the bench for his defense and distance marksmanship. The downside is that it seems like Semi Ojeleye is taking a back seat, at least in this series.





Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

By
 A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.)  Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube   Elm Street  surfaces on six (6) occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He  resided on Elm Street  in Townsend, Massachusetts  2.) He  kidnapped a woman  at gunpoint on  Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) That kidnapped woman fled to the Gillogly residence on Elm Street after escaping from the armed fugitive, Laplante. 4.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 5.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. 6.) The author, Thomas Lane, lived on Elm Steet, Pepperell, Massachusetts while a police Sgt./Lt. for the town police force. When evil and cleverness reside in the same mind, the st
17 comments
Read more

In defense of Marcus Smart

By
 Let me make it clear first of all that I am totally against making a threat of any kind that even hints at harming, or certainly killing, another human being. Marcus Smart was wrong in doing so in the Celtics loss to the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder , and he deserved the one-game suspension. But to be honest, part of me loved that it occurred. . This type of thing can happen when a player gets to a point "beyond frustration" and is having a bad game. Marcus and his teammates have been under-performing generally - were in the process of losing to a pathetic-and-tanking Thunder team - and Smart was having a bad game . And he let loose verbally at the closest target - an NBA official. Wilt Chamberlain did a similar act versus referee, Earl Strom when Wilt was having his usual tortuous time at the free throw line (per Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith): ''He was in one of those 1-for-13s,'' recalls referee Earl Strom. ''Nothing was getting close. S
Post a Comment
Read more

Did the Celtics Kevin McHale really have a wingspan of 8-feet?

By
According to many sources, the Celtics Kevin McHale did indeed have an estimated wingspan of 8-feet. One of those sources is Wikipedia, as seen below: Kevin McHale American basketball player DescriptionKevin Edward McHale is an American retired basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics. He is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, and is regarded as one of the best power forwards of all time. He was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. Wikipedia Born: December 19, 1957 (age 61 years), Hibbing, MN Wingspan: 8′ 0″ Height: 6′ 10″ Spouse: Lynn McHale (m. 1982) NBA draft: 1980, Boston Celtics (Round: 1 / Pick: 3) Hall of fame induction: 1999 Number: 32 (Boston Celtics / Power forward, Center) Kevin was listed at 6'10" tall when he was drafted with the 3rd pick in the 1980 draft. Red Auerbach, in yet another heist, brought in both McHale and center Robert Parish (via trade) prior to the Celtics' 1980-81 Champion
Post a Comment
Read more