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The Boston Celtics began their comeback against the Miami Heat, winning Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Finals matchup. Despite their victory, the Celtics still sit just one loss away from playoff elimination.
While the Heat has been the surprise package of the postseason, the Boston Celtics' current plight is largely self-inflicted. Throughout their opening three games against Miami, Boston's roster has underperformed on both ends of the floor.
Yet, with their backs against the wall, the Celtics found a way to breathe life back into their chances of making the NBA Finals. Producing an improved performance across the board, they found a way to contain the Heat's perimeter shooters throughout the contest.
Here are three reasons why the Boston Celtics were able to beat the Miami Heat in Game 4, inflicting Miami's first home loss of the postseason in the process.
#1. Al Horford rediscovered his perimeter shooting touch
At its core, the Celtics' five-out offense is predicated on having a big man that can stretch the floor and drag the opposing team's big man onto the perimeter. The idea behind this is that by forcing the opposing big to guard you up top, there is less rim protection to deter slashers from driving the lane.
However, throughout the opening three games of the Eastern Conference Finals, Al Horford's shooting touch had evaded him. Despite taking 4.3 three-point shots per game, Horford was converting at a 23.1% clip, allowing Bam Adebayo and company to help whenever a wing entered the restricted area.
Things changed in Game 4, as Al Horford rediscovered his shooting range, hitting 3-of-6 from deep for a 50% conversion rate. In fairness, Horford displayed signs of snapping out of his shooting slump in game three, but the Boston Celtics as a whole allowed that game to slip away from them.
Still, when Al Horford is knocking down his perimeter shots, Boston's screening actions become more dangerous. It often forces defenses into making mistakes as they look to take away the three-point line.
#2. Grant Williams' exemplary bench performance
After losing his place in the Celtics rotation to begin the playoffs, Grant Williams is slowly reminding everybody of his importance. Heading toward restricted free agency this summer, it looked like Williams' time with the team was coming to an end.
However, throughout the current Eastern Conference Finals contest, Grant Williams has looked like a genuine leader. He has shown passion and emotion every time he hit the floor. It was no surprise, then, that Williams was a significant difference-maker during the Boston Celtics win-or-go-home contest on May 23.
In 29 minutes of gameplay, Williams hit four of his six three-point shots, grabbed six rebounds, dished out four assists, and garnered one steal and one block. It was an all-action performance from Boston's versatile big man, who utilized his defensive switchability to cause the Heat problems when trying to attack off the dribble.
Given his recent performance level, one would expect Grant Williams remains a primary part of the Boston Celtics rotation for the rest of their playoff run.
#3. Jayson Tatum had an All-Star-level night
Entering Game 4, Jayson Tatum hadn't made a fourth-quarter basket all series long. Considering that the St. Louis native is the face of the franchise and consistently features in their offensive game plan, not having any crunch-time performance from Tatum was debilitating for the team.
However, with their backs against the wall, Jayson Tatum produced another big-time performance to keep his team in with a chance of progressing to the finals. Operating as a primary ball-handler, off-ball screener, roll man, short-roll facilitator, and primary scorer, Tatum undertook a plethora of responsibilities throughout the contest.
Tatum ended the contest with 33 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks while shooting 63.6% from the field and 44.4% from deep.
The Celtics will remain one loss away from elimination for the remainder of the series against Miami. Boston will be relying on their superstar forward to continue setting the tone and it will be interesting to see if he can shoulder the burden.
