The Boston Celtics didn’t have many answers for Marcin Gortat on Thursday night. In fact, they didn’t have a whole lot of answers for anyone in a Washington Wizards jersey.
The Wizards throttled the Celtics in Game 3 of their second-round NBA playoffs series, in large part because Boston wasn’t able to find answers on the defensive end. Washington isolated Isaiah Thomas, putting the undersized guard in a bind, and Gortat also had a big night while feasting when Boston went small.
Gortat finished with 13 points and 16 rebounds, as the Celtics offered little resistance from the likes of Al Horford and Amir Johnson.
“There’s nothing even close to about the toughness, there’s nothing even close to the first round for me (against the Atlanta Hawks),” Gortat said after the game. “Going against Dwight Howard and then going against (the Celtics’) bigs, it’s not even close.”
Oh. Well then.
“I feel very confident now, I have a lot of confidence, a lot of energy,” Gortat continued. “I’m gonna just go out there and battle, just battle everybody.”
It’s hard to argue with the confidence, though. Gortat has been an issue so far for the Celtics, and if they don’t find answers soon, they could be in trouble. But at least they have some bulletin-board material now.
