Jayson Tatum was the story of the Boston Celtics’ win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.
Robert Williams III wasn’t far off, however.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla inserted Williams back into the starting lineup for Game 6, giving the 25-year-old his first start of the postseason. The results were tremendous, as he finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks on his way to leading the game with a plus-18 in 28 minutes on the floor. It also had a profound impact on those around him.
“I’m glad Joe made that adjustment and we did it, because what a difference,” Al Horford said postgame, per NBC Sports Boston. “It didn’t surprise me. I was happy it happened, (because) we know the impact that Rob has on the court. When Rob’s not in there, a lot falls on my shoulders. When he’s out there, I know that he’s got my back and I can be a little more aggressive and do different things.”
Though Philadelphia head coach Doc Rivers claimed to expect the double-big lineup from Boston, he and the Sixers struggled to adjust to the look that they were getting. Williams and Horford matched up well against Joel Embiid and P.J. Tucker, as Williams was allowed to play free safety and leave Tucker (who finished 2-for-7 from three) open in the corner to keep the focus on Embiid. Philly’s adjustment was to replace Tucker with Georges Niang, which just saw Mazzulla and the Celtics pull one of the bigs for an extra point guard.
If it was a chess match, that was Boston’s checkmate, and they knew it.
“I was ecstatic about (the change),” Marcus Smart said postgame, per NBC Sports Boston. “To be able to have Rob in there. He changes the game, to be able to have a lob threat, a rim threat and be able to protect the rim on the other end. He was huge for us. I was proud to have him on the court.”
The defensive impact could be seen with one glance at the box score, with the Celtics holding the Sixers to just 86 points in a playoff game at Wells Fargo Center. They even did it without getting in a time machine and heading back to 2006.
The expectation is that Boston will roll out the same starting five for Game 7 at TD Garden on Sunday. If they do, Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon’s contributions off the bench should be a major factor in whatever lineup responses Rivers and Philadelphia can come up with. Something tells us they’ll be a doozy.
