After a poor offensive performance in Game 5, the Boston Celtics find themselves in an unfortunate position.
They are down, 3-2, in a rollercoaster NBA Finals after falling, 104-94.
In his first NBA Finals, Al Horford knows the situation:
Al Horford: "There's no tomorrow now."
— Mark Murphy (@Murf56) June 14, 2022
The Celtics offense struggled for the majority of Game 5 while their defense tried to keep them in the game.
It was Jayson Tatum — game-high 27 points on 5-for-9 shooting from 3-point — who led the offense, but Jaylen Brown missed 13 field goals.
Brown also missed all five of his 3-pointers, and the team was 11-for-32 overall from deep.
What hurts the Celtics the most is that they could have had that game.
They held Golden State to 9-for-40 shooting from downtown, as Stephen Curry went 0-for-9.
Horford said that the Celtics need to “figure it out” as soon as possible in time for Game 6:
"Our backs are against the wall, we look each other in the eye and we have to figure it out"
Al Horford on the mindset heading into Game 6 pic.twitter.com/YDZrF1v1OQ
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 14, 2022
The Celtics are in need of a bounce-back effort at home after missing 10 free throws and committing 18 turnovers in Game 5.
So, how do the Celtics move forward?
More Robert Williams Helped The Celtics Right The Ship In The Third
Robert Williams III played more than 30 minutes again, and about 11 of those minutes came in a crucial third quarter.
He was the team’s best plus/minus player:
- Robert Williams’ full game plus/minus: team-high +11
- Robert Williams’ third quarter plus/minus: game-high +14
Williams was one of four Celtics in double digits, as he looked strong and healthy yet again.
He may have run out of gas though in the fourth quarter, as the team sputtered near the end of the game once again.
Boston faltered in the final 12 minutes, as the Celtics’ starters made just three field goals in the last quarter.
Neither Williams nor Horford attempted a shot in the fourth quarter.
The Celtics are in need of a better Game 6 overall, but especially in the fourth quarter.
Boston has to find a way to improve its offense heading into their third Game 6 of the 2022 postseason.
Grant Williams Needs To Be More Involved To Win
There is one area that seems to be untapped recently.
Only once in the 2022 Finals have the Celtics given Grant Williams more than six field goal attempts.
It was Game 3:
- Game 1 (win): 0-for-2 shooting, 0 points
- Game 2 (loss): 2-for-2, 6 points
- Game 3 (win): 4-for-7, 10 points
- Game 4 (loss): 1-for-2, 3 points
- Game 5 (loss): 1-for-2, 3 points
He needs to be more involved on offense.
Earlier in the playoffs, he was their hidden gem.
Thus far in the playoffs, there are some glaring Williams numbers:
- The Celtics are 10-1 this postseason when Grant Williams attempts at least seven shots.
- The Celtics are 10-0 when Williams makes at least 3 field goals.
- The Celtics are 6-0 when Williams scores more than 10 points.
Williams scored just 12 points combined from the four games other than Game 3 of the Finals.
He has been able to provide defensive help, but the Warriors have been able to bait him into fouls.
Williams has committed 2.6 fouls per game in just 17.2 minutes per contest.
It has not been easy for the third-year forward recently.
He scored at least 14 points five times in his first 13 postseason games this year.
In his last 10 games, he has not reached 12 points once.
Maybe some Williams buckets can get Horford and company to “tomorrow” and Game 7.
NEXT: Jayson Tatum Is Still Putting Up Big Numbers Amid Shooting Woes