“Millsap was awesome”, Celtics coach Brad Stevens later marveled.
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Going into Game 3 Friday night, there was a feeling around Boston that the Celtics were “done” and many were just hoping the team wouldn’t get swept. While Millsap may have been exhausted, Smart had played about the same amount of minutes and expended more energy than anyone on the court.
Then there is Jerebko, who as a hyperactive 6-10 power forward has spaced the floor for Thomas while also exploiting the space himself.
Atlanta Point Guard Dennis Schroeder has quickly become the main target of Celtics Nation, after an altercation between him and Isaiah Thomas in Game 3, which led to offsetting technical fouls.
Marcus Smart scored 20 points – including 11 straight for Boston in the fourth quarter – and Jonas Jerebko had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Offensively, Smart made his mark by driving to the basket and hitting clutch shots from deep, despite having struggled with his shot all throughout the regular season (Smart shot 34 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point range this year). They combined to score 44.7 points per game in the regular season, both reaching career highs. I think we were down 14 or 16 points and we just kept at it. knowing what was at stake and we just stayed the course. The only place that we were really going to have to consider doubling was the post, and I didn’t want to do that because of the (Hawks’ outside) shooting. Kelly Olynyk returned to the court after missing the previous two games with a shoulder injury.
“When we play the lineup with me at (center), I feel we can nearly switch everything”, Jerebko said. “You’re going to mess up, you’re not flawless but it’s definitely a line between being aggressive and being in control”.
Al-Farouq Aminu scored a career-high 30 points and the Portland Trail Blazers pulled away after Chris Paul left with a broken bone in his right hand, beating the Los Angeles Clippers 98-84 on Monday night to even.
“At the end of games, we have to be better”, Kyle Korver said. “Marcus has had his ups and downs but Marcus on this stage – and with his consistent work ethic and with his competitive spirit – you really trust that good things will happen”.
And that’s not even Smart’s best part of the game.
The greatest result that came from this move by Stevens was the presence of Marcus Smart.
“I’m just out there trying to play my butt off”, Jerebko said. But there is also the question of whether Millsap’s success helped stray the Hawks out of rhythm. The Pacers posted an impressive 100-83 victory in Game 4 to tie the series at 2-2 and a second win in Toronto would put seventh-seeded in in the driver’s seat.
A constant this season has been Boston’s ability to rally in tough circumstances.
We now know that the victor of this series will play the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Second Round, as they swept the Detroit Pistons in a series that concluded Sunday night.
The Celtics could of just laid down when they were down 55-45 with 9:23 left in the third quarter, but they were not shook, despite not being able to stop Millsap.
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The NBA is entering the most lucrative summer in its history with the new broadcast deal kicking in for the teams and the top teams with huge salary caps are the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards, among many others.
