In a fiercely contested Game 6 at State Farm Arena, the Boston Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks 128-120 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
In a fiercely contested Game 6 at State Farm Arena, the Boston Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks 128-120 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals of the NBA. The Celtics were able to take the lead and go on to win the game and the series to a 14-3 run in the final minutes of regulation. These allowed them to play the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. “It’s gonna be fun, it’s gonna be exciting,” Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said of the upcoming series with Joel Embiid and the 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Tatum and Jaylen Brown once again led the Celtics, combining 62 points, 19 rebounds, and nine assists in Boston’s victory. Trae Young led the Hawks with 30 points and 10 assists, and Dejounte Murray contributed 14 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds in Game 5 of his comeback from a one-game suspension.
Young scored just five points in the second half on 1-for-13 shooting after a scorching start to the game in which he scored 25 points in the first half. In the second half, the Boston Celtics made deliberate attempts to prevent Young from beating them, which allowed De’Andre Hunter to take open shots and provided John Collins with opportunities to post up. The Celtics were content to let Murray and the other Hawks do their best to extend the series despite those two making a few shots. In the end, the Celtics’ late-game surge proved to be insufficient.
Are you prepared to witness one of the worst inbounds plays in basketball history? Young couldn’t find a teammate to pass to with just under 19 seconds left in the game and the Hawks trailing by six, so he threw it off Marcus Smart. It is a sensitive area. It happens, and Young’s decision to save the timeout was shrewd. However, on the subsequent attempt, Young was unsuccessful in getting the ball inbounds and threw it off Smart for a second chance. The Hawks decided enough was enough and switched Young for Hunter hoping he could see past the defence and get the ball in. Nope. Hunter followed Young’s example and threw the ball off Al Horford’s leg while out of bounds, drawing some jeers from the Atlanta crowd. Hunter managed to put the ball in play on the subsequent attempt, finally, finally. I guess, sort of. No player intercepted his attempted lob pass and went out of bounds on the opposing side of the court, giving Boston possession and effectively ending Atlanta’s season. It was difficult to watch and exemplified the style of defence the Boston Celtics employed in the closing minutes.
The Boston Celtics dominated the game’s final five minutes, and the best part was that it wasn’t all due to the outstanding duo of Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The game ended in a tie with five minutes left. Aside from Tatum’s violent put-back dunk and step-back 3-pointer, Smart was the key player in the closing lineup, scoring seven points and providing an assist for a Horford 3-pointer. Atlanta was defeated by Smart’s crucial 3-pointer with one minute and a half remaining. Whether or not Smart should start over Derrick White in the Celtics’ final lineup has been a topic of discussion, but Game 6 demonstrated why Boston coach Joe Mazzulla continues to favour the defending Defensive Player of the Year despite his sporadic struggles this season.
Since Boston and Philadelphia are vying for a spot in the Eastern Conference finals, the fans are eagerly anticipating a fiery semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers.
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