After the San Antonio Spurs closed out their series against the Houston Rockets on the road in emphatic fashion, the Boston Celtics will look to do the same tonight as they hit the road for Game 6 against the Washington Wizards. So far this National Basketball Association playoffs, the trend has been that the home team has usually come out on top.
Al Horford is a much better distributor and spot-up shooter than he is a go-to post player, which would be fine if the likes of Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley could create off the dribble. If the Boston-Washington series goes seven, the victor meets the Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Al Horford, playing a dynamic game, scored 19 points and added seven assists and six rebounds for Boston. Isaiah Thomas, the team's lone All-Star, played the role of facilitator Wednesday, attempting only 13 shots en route his 18 points and 9 assists.
Said Bradley: "Everyone was prepared and that is what it's all about".
The Eastern Conference Semifinals series between the No. 1 Boston Celtics and the No. 4 Washington Wizards has been an exciting one thus far.
Game 7 would be in Boston on Monday.
John Wall had a team-high 21 points and Bradley Beal had 16 for the Wizards. Washington used a 22-0 run in Game 3 and a 26-0 run in Game 4 to take control and win both of those games easily.
When asked about having the chance to close the series in Washington, Avery Bradley said: "It's a great opportunity to make the Eastern Conference finals and we've got to understand that".
The final stanza saw the Celtics go on an 11-0 run in the first 3 minutes. Thomas had five assists, more than Washington's entire team (four) in the period.
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But as important as their individual performances were, it was their collective effort that was impressive and in what was the biggest game of the season for Boston, an absolute requirement for them to emerge with the win. "The coaches kept saying that, 'Impose your will.' We were the more physical team tonight".
By the same token, this series feels destined to go seven games.
Thomas said one thing that became apparent in watching film from the Celtics' losses in Games 3 and 4 was that he had to adjust his game with three or four defenders guarding him. Brooks said, "and a lot of times your bench always plays better at home. I told him before the game that I believe in him, and he's gonna have a big game, and he did".
Either the Celtics or Wizards will advance to face the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals with that victor advancing to next month's NBA Finals. That's what happens when you're suspended for steamrolling Celtics counterpart Kelly Olynyk during a chippy Game 3. Bradley scored 25 points in the first half. 25! Shot 58 percent from the field (25 of 43) in the first half.
"They beat our (butts)", Morris said following the Celtics' 123-101 drubbing in Game 5.
They had 10 fastbreak points in the first quarter, and routinely turned turnovers and missed layups into transition buckets.
Then, when Oubre started the second quarter for Wizards, it prompted fans in the Garden to chant again. Maybe they'll have something clever for him instead of just booing every time he touches the ball, but after Wednesday night's outrage at Boston's potty mouths, it will probably be something cordial and respectful.
But the Celtics have protected the rim well and Wall and Beal have shot just 47 percent in the paint (down from 60 percent against the Hawks). Boston can not allow the Wizards to push them around down low and get to those "50-50" balls. "We know what's at stake".
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