On we go in the NBA Playoffs on Monday night. The Celtics look like a team with Championship aspirations in their Game 5 win. And the Clippers win Game 3, but they may have some issues to figure out moving forward to win it all. Let’s take a look at last night in the association.
Celtics Clicking on All Cylinders in Blowout Win
The Boston Celtics are a SCARY team when they are clicking on all cylinders.
Their Game 5 win 111-89 over the Raptors might’ve been the best the Celtics have looked all year. That’s saying something from a team who lost all the momentum they had built when they were up 2-0 in the series.
If this was a prizefight, it was a bloody first-round knockout. The Raptors were out of it from the jump.
Boston’s already elite-level defense was on another plane in the first half. They held Toronto to 11 points and 4 FG in the first quarter. The score heading into halftime was 62-35. Those 35 points by Toronto were the least in the first half of any team in these NBA Playoffs. It was also the second-lowest playoff first-half total in franchise history. Toronto wasn’t just missing shots; it was Boston making every shot Toronto took tough.
And as I anticipated, after two games of Nick Nurse’s different defensive looks stifling the Celtics, Boston’s offense bounced back big. 93 of the Celtics 111 points came from their starters, but the scoring was spread out between them. The split went like this: Jaylen Brown 27 points, Kemba Walker 21 points, Jayson Tatum 18 points, Marcus Smart 12 points, Daniel Theis 15 points.
Charles Barkley hit the nail on the head at halftime. The Chuckster said that Boston came out and played like they were the team that just won two in a row to tie the series. Their effort and intensity were higher at both ends from the moment the game started.
Overall it was a championship level performance from the Celtics. And the idea of them continuing to play like this has me salivating over a potential Heat-Celtics Eastern Conference Finals.
Clippers Take 2-1 Lead After Tough Game 3 Battle
The Clippers are lucky to be up 2-1 in this series.
Los Angeles beat Denver 113-107 in a Game 3 they easily could’ve given away.
Luckily for the Clips, after all the criticism, Playoff P returned again. Paul George was unstoppable in Game 3, finishing with 32 points.
And while Kawhi was just solid offensively with 23 points, his impact was felt everywhere else on the court. Kawhi finished with 14 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks. He came up with big rebounds and defensive stops throughout the fourth quarter.
It appears the Clippers may have one massive flaw; guarding skilled big men.
For the second game in a row, the Clippers had no answer for Nikola Jokic, who finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds. Jokic is now shooting 52 percent from the field and 46.6 percent from three in the series.
The Clippers threw everything they could at him, including three different defenders; Ivica Zubac, Jamychal Green, and Montrezl Harrell. They also switched and doubled, and nothing worked.
This also isn’t new for the Clippers in these NBA Playoffs. Remember, in the first round, in the two full games Kristaps Porzingis played in (he was ejected early in Game 1); he averaged 28.5 PPG on 58.1 percent from the field and 61.5 percent from three.
In crunch time, though, the Clippers ramped up their defense and ended up forcing the ball to Jerami Grant on three straight possessions late in the game. Grant missed all three shots, and the Clippers were able just to pull away.
I fully expect the Clippers to win this series, potentially in five games. But this issue guarding big men will be extremely concerning if they end up with the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. They have a pretty solid big man and LeBron James.
For even more breakdown of the NBA Playoffs, listen to the NBA Morning Deuce, Belly Up Sports’ newest Daily NBA Podcast. The deuce covers everything you need to know from the night and day before in the association. Episodes are available by 6 am Monday through Friday where you listen to podcasts.
