Celtics face Game 7 after failing to knock out Wizards
COMMENTARY
So on to Game 7 we go. The Celtics showed up in black, and after a John Wall dagger in the final seconds thwarted their bid to end the series on the Wizards’ home court, they left feeling blue.
Maybe this is how it’s supposed to be. Maybe it is how this Eastern Conference semifinal series, one so competitive and contested that it feels like it might have escaped from an ‘80s time capsule, is supposed to end.
But brace yourself. Brace yourself like a Celtics guard about to run into a Marcin Gortat screen. These two seems are different stylistically, but they’re otherwise so evenly matched that Monday’s Game 7 is certain to be as hard-fought and tense as Game 6, only with higher stakes since it’s win-or-go-home for both participants rather than just one.
Forget about the previous blowouts in this series. This is an eye-for-an-eye brawl now. And it’s going to be difficult to resist lamenting all weekend how the Celtics could play so well for long in Game 6, yet fail to come away with a victory.
They failed to knock out the Wizards, failed to end their cocky burgeoning rival’s season (the confetti at the end of a victory that tied a series and decided nothing is a bold touch), failed to aid them in what should have been a fast fade to black.
When Wall buried his 27-foot, 3-point dart with 3 seconds left for the 92-91 win, it felt not so much like a Wizards success, but a Celtics failure.
It stinks, because that’s not fair. The Celtics played tirelessly and aggressively for most of the night at a venue in which they’d been blown out by a combined 46 points during Games 3 and 4.
Avery Bradley might be remembered for being the defender on Wall’s winning shot – the ultimate Nothing You Can Do About It dagger – but it must be noted that he delivered an exceptional all-around performance again, tying Isaiah Thomas for the team scoring lead (27 points) while knocking down 10 of 16 shots.
It’s a source of endless frustration here that the Celtics sometimes forget to go to Bradley on the nights when he has his full offensive repertoire working at a high level. He had 16 shots. If he’d had 20, we’d be talking about Game 1 versus the Cavaliers right now.
Al Horford was again excellent in myriad aspects, finishing with 20 points (on 8-of-12 shooting), 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. If you’re yowling about Horford and his max contact now, give it up. You’re wrong, and you’re stubbornness makes you look foolish. If not for Wall, Horford would have had the last word in this one; his Tim Duncan-style bank shot (accidental as it seemed) with 7 seconds left put the Celtics up 91-89. For a moment, he was the hardwood hero of the night.
Thomas had plenty of bright moments against the Wizards’ relentless double teams. For a time, it seemed like the fourth quarter would belong to him like it had on so many other occasions this season.
He buried a step-back 2-pointer followed by a 3 to put the Celtics up 87-82 with 1 minute 34 seconds left, and after Marcus Smart (a detriment on offense, a dervish on D) drew a charge, Thomas had the ball in his hands and the Celtics had a five-point lead.
It wasn’t over yet, but victory was feeling attainable, and heading toward inevitable.
Then, a shift. Trapped, Thomas threw a pass to nowhere, and the Wizards converted it into a Bradley Beal (33 points) 3-pointer. Suddenly the lead was 2. Forty or so seconds later, Wall rose up and knocked it down, and Celtics fans were left to carry their heavy laments into the weekend.
If only Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, and Jaylen Brown hadn’t combined to go 0-for-11 off the bench. If only Kelly Olynyk didn’t play like he physically felt every boo from the Washington crowd. If only Jae Crowder hadn’t missed so many early jumpers, and Bradley and Horford hadn’t missed a couple of early layups, and … well, we could count the ifs all night, couldn’t we?
Best to put them away for now. There’s a Game 7, and Game 7s are just about the best thing in sports – at least, if you’re team is the one that emerges in victory. “That’s where all great players make their names,’’ said Thomas after the game, and he’s so right.
But sometimes great players make their names in an occasional Game 6, too. John Wall did it Friday night, and so we’ve got one more of these things to go. Given how the teams feel about each other, they’ll probably both show up wearing black Monday. Only one of them is going to need it.
