Last postseason, Grant Williams was a regular face for the Boston Celtics and won it in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
In this postseason, he had five DNPs and only broke the 20-minute mark five times in 17 total games. It’s a full 180 which proves it was a wrong decision.
With their season on the line, Williams stepped into a senior role in Boston Game 4 against the Miami Heat. He posted a playoff high 29:13, which ranked fourth on the team in minutes on Tuesday night.
Post-season uncertainty didn’t stop Williams from rising when the time called.
“For me, it’s just a matter of maintaining perspective,” said Williams. “You never know what your turn will be on a night, so you just have to make sure you’re ready for anything, for the sake of your teammates.”
In Game Four, Williams was crucial to Boston’s success, tallying 14 points and striking out four. He also added six boards, two assists, a steal, and a block on Jimmy Butler to his totals.
Williams’ three-point shooting helped the Celtics break down a troublesome zone Miami defense and opened up Jason Tatum for action as the Celtics star had his best game of the series. And on the defensive end, his hard-hitting style paid off.
“Grant played hard,” said Joe Mazzola. “I made open shots, did a great job sorting versus switching, and executed the game plan defensively.”
The fourth-year forward was more of a three-point shot maker and defensive presence for the Celtics. It was their only stable source of energy.
“You need a guy like Grant on your team to win, and he helps us win games,” said Marcus Smart. “And when he plays like that, and he concentrates like that, we’ll be fine.”
In Game 2, Williams went to Butler in the fourth quarter. Butler proceeded to attack Williams relentlessly, but the Celtics forward didn’t back down. Miami went on a massive rally to win the game, and Williams took a large part of the blame.
But in fact, Williams’ intensity demonstrated how the Celtics should have acted the entire series. Instead of backing up their teammate, Boston melted away, and Williams single-handedly outlasted the rest of his team in the final eight minutes of the contest.
Game four saw Williams bring in the same fire. He never got into a shouting match with Butler, but his constant rant was evident. Williams even got some running back Butler, stopping one of his signature mid-range shots in the fourth quarter.
But the block wasn’t as important as Boston’s defensive mentality.
“I just make sure we keep the same strength,” said Williams. “The block I had was just one play over 100 possessions in the game. And for us, it’s just about making sure that defensively — that mentality — is going to win us the game.”
The Celtics’ intensity has faded in and out of this series. Game 3 was the low point, but their effort levels in Games 1 and 2 left a lot to be desired as well.
Williams was a constant source of hustle and bustle on the team, yet he got dragged through the mud for it in Game 2.
At this point, Butler is one of the best playoff players ever, and he’s found that success by playing with an endless source of enthusiasm, and his team is following suit.
If Boston has any hope of making history, they have to match that energy. And with the way the series has gone so far, the best way to do that is to match Williams’ fire.
“This team by playing harder than you and beating those threes on open opportunities,” said Williams. “So we just have to keep our pressure on. Keep that perspective. Understand that, no matter what happens, just make that extra effort.”