Grant Williams has rummaged for playing time throughout the playoffs for the Boston Celtics, but when called upon in a pressure-filled do-or-die Game 4 against the Miami Heat, he delivered and proved to be ready.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla leaned on Williams, who became Boston's scapegoat in the eyes of many after challenging Heat forward Jimmy Butler back in Game 2. That heated encounter, coupled with a three-game-long slump from the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, compiled a mountain of outside noise, which the 24-year-old put behind him in Boston's 116-99 victory over Miami.
Williams played 29 minutes off the bench, scoring 14 points while knocking down 4-of-6 outside shot attempts, grabbing six rebounds and recording one huge block on Butler in the fourth quarter.
"Grant comes in and adds to winning," Celtics teammates Jaylen Brown told reporters, as seen on NBC Sports Boston's postgame coverage. "When he plays composed and he keeps his head, he can be a tremendous asset. You just gotta keep talking to him, you know. Keep letting him know where the game is at. Keep telling him (to) make the right plays, play within his role. And I think that he did that tonight."
That contribution offered a major helping hand as the Celtics recorded the largest win (by 17 points) when trailing a team 3-0 ever in NBA history, surpassing the 1947 Washington Capitols, according to ESPN.
The battle for Williams to log some stability in playing time has made for a roller coaster playoff run for the fourth-year pro. However, perhaps Williams made a strong case campaign for Boston to look for him to replicate Tuesday night's performance come Game 5.
During last season's run to the NBA Finals, Williams averaged 27.2 minutes in the postseason. That dipped mightily to 15.5 -- before Game 4 -- under Mazzulla's first run at the helm, including four DNPs.
Now, with Miami's series lead cut to 3-1, Williams and the Celtics have a chance to build on their momentum-snagging win in front of their home crowd on Thursday night.
