The Celtics Responded With Dominance In A Huge Game 4 Win To Effectively Put The Hawks On Life Support

Kevin C. Cox. Getty Images.

I think Jayson Tatum summed everything up pretty well when it came to Game 4 and this series

While I think everyone would have loved the sweep, at the end of the day the goal of this trip was to split and return home with a chance to close out the series on their own floor. After coming close in Game 3, it was crucial that the Celts not let things snowball into a 2-2 series and now you're dealing with a Hawks team that has all the confidence in the world. They needed a step on your throat performance, and that requires the right mindset.

The result? The Celts took the lead at the 8:18 mark of the 1st quarter and the score was never tied again. That's about as close as you can get to a wire to wire win, and the Celts now find themselves exactly where they should be, in the driver's seat with a closeout game on deck.

This team will not be defined by how they play in the first round. We all know that. But you can't start thinking about future series until you take care of the one you're currently in, and it was nice to see how locked in everyone was for this game. I've seen Celtics teams of the past lose this exact game and suddenly find themselves in a dogfight of a series. Most notably, the 2008 Boston Celtics. There was an opportunity for the Hawks to build some momentum last night and for the Celts to show up on both ends the way they did told me they understand what's at stake here. They won't always be perfect, there are going ot be future games during this run that they'll probably lose. In the playoffs, it's about how you respond. It's about immediately stopping the bleeding and righting the ship.

That's what happened in Game 4, and it was beautiful to watch. Let's dive in.

The Good

- The top spot today wasn't as easy as you think. I spent many hours last night debating who gets it, I watched the film, I broke down the numbers, I talked with the scouts, and finally, we have come to a conclusion that I think makes sense.

We are beginning with Robert Williams.

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That 10/15 performance from Bill Walton came in Game 2 against the Bulls in the 1986 playoffs. You may remember that year as the time the Celts went 16-2 in the playoffs and won the NBA title. Pretty good! 

With Rob, there's a reason I am firm about the idea that he's the biggest ceiling raiser on this roster, and this game is the exact reason why. A healthy Rob changes EVERYTHING. After all the damage the Hawks were able to go in Game 3, Rob played with a certain force that led me to believe he understood the assignment when it came to limiting the Hawks on the glass

When Rob was on the floor last night, the Hawks only had an OREB% of 29%. This was a drastic improvement from Game 3, where that number was 35.7%. If you're curious, the Celtics led the NBA in opponent OREB% during the year at 25.4%, so with Rob on the floor last night the Celts were close to that best in the NBA number. Considering how much the Hawks rely on OREB/2nd chance points, Rob making sure to lock that down while he was on the floor, for the most part, was a huge part of the Game 4 formula.

Offensively all he really had to do was catch point blank passes from Jaylen and finish, but let's not pretend like this team doesn't have a layup issue. The fact that he 

A) kept catching the ball clean

B) didn't panic and rush his shot

was great. Then, in the final moments during that crazy possession that made all of us lose our minds, it was Rob's dive to tap the ball to Jaylen that ultimately saved the day. 

There are a lot of things that can elevate this team. The Jays, their guard play, ball movement etc. But none of them take them to the same sort of heights we get when Rob is doing shit like this. Any concern of how he looked during the year now looks silly, because it's pretty clear Rob was pacing himself for when the games truly matter. Not only that, but Joe kept him under 30 minutes again. 

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To keep it simple, Rob is incredible. Not debatable.

-  There was a time when every talking head said the same thing. It was time to break up Tatum and Brown. Despite it making no goddamn sense, they all parrotted the same bullshit because that's what makes headlines.

One person did not

Funny how we don't hear those same hot takes anymore right? Because it was all bullshit. Break up this? The unquestionably best duo in the NBA and a pair that is well on their way to becoming one of the most unstoppable duos in NBA history?

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Jayson Tatum: 31/7/4 on 8-20 (4-13) shooting while going 11-12 from the FT line

Jaylen Brown: 31/4/3 on 12-22 (3-4) while turning the ball over just 2 times

Heading into this series, the one thing we knew was that the Hawks did not have any sort of chance of containing either player. This isn't just a Hawks thing, this is a rest of the NBA thing. If you can't stop the Celts wings, you're cooked. So far, Tatum is averaging 28.5 a game on 44/40% splits, and Brown isn't too far behind at 23.3 a game on 51/39% splits. Everything we thought would happen in this series when it comes to those two is happening.

They are getting whatever the hell they want.

In a big Game 4, it was once again on the stars to show up and carry, and once we got into the 4th quarter that is exactly what happened. Jaylen ditched the mask and immediately bounced back from his 1-7 start with a 10-15 run. Tatum after being relatively quiet through 3 quarters exploded in the fourth to the tune of 16 points on 4-7 shooting.

The Jays accounted for 28 of the Celts' 37 points just through their scoring alone, and when you add in their playmaking, the number is 32 of the 37. I'm not sure it's possible to dominate and make more of an impact in a single quarter than what we got from the two best players, and that's exactly the type of performance you hoped to see. The "others" did enough all night, the last 12 mintues was the time for the best players to drop their nuts on the table and get that 3-1 lead, and that is exactly what happened.

What I loved about it was their approach. Jaylen had something crazy like 18 of his 31 points in the paint. When it got late in the fourth, Tatum was aggressive and put his head down, attacking the basket with force. There was no settling, there were quick decisions, and it was all great. 

- We are witnessing the best playoff stretch of Marcus Smart's career. To say he's been awesome in this series doesn't really do it justice. The best way I could describe it is we're getting the ideal version of Marcus Smart on both ends. While the losers and haters of which there are still many still try and slander and devalue what he brings to the team, all he does is go out there and give the Celts exactly what they need

Through 4 games, this is the best Smart has ever looked in a postseason.

17.0/4.8/6.3/2.3 on 49/40% with 3.0 3PM and just 1.5 TOs

Not only is he efficient, but he's running the show exactly like he has been over the last 2 years, which has helped the Celts turn into the best team in the NBA. Through 4 games he has 25 assists and just 6 TOs. That assist number leads the Celtics. His 12 3PM are good for 3rd on the team, and in terms of his FG%, that 49% number is only beaten by Rob (88%) and Derrick (58%). 

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With Smart, it's not just the production, it's the decision making. Time after time in this game we saw Smart pass up a poor 3PA decision in order to either touch the paint himself or find a better shot for someone else. He's playing exactly how everyone wants him to play, and the exact way he looked pre-injury. He knows that whether it's Young or Bogdanovic or really anyone, they cannot stop him at the point of attack. He's too big, and too strong. 

Of his 68 total points this series, 30 of them have come in the paint. If the Celts are getting a healthy Rob PLUS this version of Smart, it's going to be really hard for them to lose 4 times in a 7 game series. 

- The best part? Smart is not alone. All of the guards have been awesome in this series, just like we all expected they would. As awesome as Smart has been, it's fair to say that Derrick White has been even better. That doesn't even seem fair, and yet…

Another efficient 18 points (7-14, 4-9), it was just more of the same when it came to Derrick. The way he's shooting the ball with confidence and zero hesitation has changed everything for him. It doesn't matter if it's catch & shoot or a pullup, I LOVE that Derrick is feeling confident enough to call his own number like this. This team is at their best when White is aggressive and after 14 FGA he got back into the double digit FGA number. It shouldn't surprise you then that the Celts are 3-0 in this series when that happens. He only took 7 in Game 3 and never really looked like himsef after that early foul trouble. 

Last night there was no foul trouble and look what happened. He was aggressive on both ends, he looked for his shot, and he got back to being able to provide physical defense on Trae

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- Having two guards perform like this is usually enough. If your team has that, they are probably in a good spot. Now what do you think happens when you get to add Malcolm Brogdon to the mix as well?

Just a little 14/4/4 off the bench on 6-10 (1-2) shooting. Add in the fact that all of those misses were basically wide open layups and you could make then case that Brogdon's production could have been even better if he just made some point blank looks.

What we're seeing in the playoffs is more of what we saw during the year. The fact that there is no break in terms of this guard rotation makes it extremely difficult for opposing teams, especially if your best players are guards. There is no letup. When it comes to Brogdon, the way he's been able to use his speed and strength to just bully past defenders is something that isn't changing anytime soon. The Hawks have been unable to stop any of the trio in terms of dribble penetration, and I'm not sure any team can. The patience that Brogdon plays with, especially on drives, is a big part of what was missing last playoff run. 

- With how loud all the talk was about how Joe "wasn't ready" or all the crying for Ime by people every time the Celts lose a game, I certainly hope the talk is just as loud when it comes to what he's actually doing.

Honestly, Joe has been about as near perfect as you could expect. There has not been a single game he's been outcoached, he's pushing all the buttons in terms of his rotations, his timeout usage has been perfect, and when he has to get mad, he's getting mad

The way Joe has handled the guard substitution patterns in the 4th quarter so far, which was probably one of the biggest questions heading into the playoffs, has been outstanding. He's done a great job playing the feel of the game and pulling the plug at the right time. There was a moment where Smart was maybe getting a little tired, so he swapped out Brogdon. Then, after Brogdon couldn't make a layup and things got dicey for a stretch, he went back to Smart to close it out. All while leaving Derrick on the floor, which is exactly what everyone wanted.

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After getting crushed on the glass, what did he do? He adjusted to the double big and it completely changed the game. The Hawks had no counter. Point, Joe.

While there are still many tests to come, so far Joe has been great. 

- Speaking of Mazzulla Ball, still good!

- Al didn't make a single shot or score a single point and he was a team best +17. He finished with 11 huge rebounds, 5 assists and 0 TOs.

As always, Al is perfect. A true gift from God.

The Bad

- While the Hawks once again had a "fake comeback" and stat padded towards to end of this game, I don't really love giving up 121 points. While some of it was tough shot making from Murray again (4 for 7 on contested FGA), the Celts did allow 24, 28, 34 and 34 points as the game went on. That's playing with fire to some degree, because eventually they're going to play a team that actually has a defensive pulse.

I didn't exactly love the 68 points on 51/40% splits in the second half, especially coming off the second half we saw in Game 3. There were issues again with P&R, this time handling the roll man, and as we talked about the other day, that's something the Celts have struggled with all year. 

- It didn't burn them, but 16 TOs is once again too many. This wasn't a situation where one guy had 4 or 5, but nearly everyone who touched the floor last night finished with at least 2. The Hawks had 11 points off those turnovers, and that's the concerning part moving forward. The Celts have to stop shooting themselves in the foot with these type of mistakes.

Turnovers and rebounding are basically the only way they lose. If they are careless with the ball and then lazy on the glass, things they can absolutely control, they're going to find themselves in some trouble. If they clean that shit up, opposing teams can't produce enough in the half court to be able to hang, it's really that simple.

- Whatever the hell the last like 15 seconds were. From Smart getting pick pocketed by Trae, to Jaylen fucking up his dribble, that entire sequence was insane. Just hold onto the ball! There was a part of me that absolutely expected a collapse after that Smart steal, and that's a level of stress we do not need at that point of the game. My freaking  heart.

- It's so goddamn annoying that the Celts immediately got back to 120 points, 25+ assists and 40% shooting from deep and they won. You know, the exact same shit they did in Game 3. The exact same shit that all year long essentially guaranteed a win. Man that Game 3 Hawks shooting is such bullshit

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This series should be over smh.

The Ugly

- You'll never believe this, but the Celts once again had some offensive rebounding issues in the 4th quarter. After being great all game, the Celts could not get their shit together on the glass in the 4th. 

The Hawks finished with47 OREB and 8 2nd chance points in the 4th quarter alone, and it's what allowed them to hang around. It's literally their entire offense at this point. Once you get into the 4th quarter, you NEED clean defensive possessions. What good is it if you get a stop and force a miss, only to immediately give the ball back. Just grab the fucking ball in the 4th quarter, it cannot be this hard to keep making these mistakes.

The Celtics are giving up a 40% OREB% in the 4th quarter of that series. By comparison, the Pacers were the worst team in the NBA in 4th quarter OREB%, and they finished at 33.3%. That's how poor the Celts have been at keeping the Hawks off the glass in the final 12 minutes. Legit worst in the NBA by a mile.

The good news is, the Celts did what they had to do. Up 3-1, everyone is healthy and feeling good, now just take care of your shit on Tuesday and Round 2 against the Sixers starts this weekend. Who knows what Embiid's health will be and if he'll be ready, so it's crucial the Celts don't fuck around and they wrap this series up. Play like they did last night, and this will be over in 5.

Love and Trust