Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from Game 5 vs. 76ers
1. Celtics make winning plays
Throughout the course of an NBA game, there are always a few plays sprinkled throughout the 48 minutes that come to be real difference-makers.
A loose ball that leads to a bucket, taking a key charge or recovering a loose ball may not seem like such big deals in the moment, but when it comes to the outcome of a game, they matter.
The Celtics, with all their grit and toughness, seem to make every single one of those plays.
Guys like Marcus Smart and Aron Baynes may not be the most skilled players on the offensive end, but the reason they stick in the league is that they’ll do whatever it takes to win basketball games.
Dario Saric: “Jayson Tatum is unbelievable. Talented, young guy. But I think their key teammate this game was Marcus Smart.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 4, 2018
Case in point: With a little more than nine minutes left in the third quarter, Terry Rozier put up a 3-point shot that didn’t fall. Joel Embiid, standing right by the basket, stood motionless, waiting for the ball to come to him.
Baynes, being the hard worker that he is, swooped in from the right corner to tip the ball to Al Horford just as Embiid was reaching to grab it. Horford secured the ball and passed it out to Brown, who hit a 3 to put the make it 66-56 in favor of the Celtics.
While Embiid waited for the ball to come to him, Baynes went out and grabbed it.
It’s moments like that which make Boston so great without having otherworldly talent.
Whether it’s Rozier stripping Embiid in the final seconds, or Smart chasing down a desperation Hail Mary by Philly to get up a last-second attempt, the Celtics will always do any and everything to secure the W.
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That, among many reasons, is why they’re back in the conference finals.