The Celtics again proved when their mentality is up to par with their talent and depth they can beat any team.
\That combination was the recipe behind Boston's dominant Game 2 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden on Wednesday night.
It started on the defensive end with Jaylen Brown praised for setting the tone with his pressure on James Harden, who finished with 12 points (8-for-10 from the foul line) after he dropped 45 in the series opener. Equally as crucial, though, was Boston's defense on Joel Embiid. The 2023 NBA MVP returned to the lineup and finished with just 15 points on 4-for-9 shooting with a team-worst three turnovers.
Was Embiid at his best given he was returning after 11 days off due to a knee injury? Well, no. But the combination of Al Horford and Grant Williams nevertheless was incredibly impactful on Embiid. Lineups featuring both Horford and Williams rated as some of Boston's best on that end of the floor, as pointed out by Barstool Sports' Dan Greenberg, with Williams plus-22 in 29 minutes and Horford plus-19 in 24 minutes.
Williams, who was physical with Embiid as soon as he checked in, showed glimpses of why he was a fixture in Boston's playoff rotation last season. And Celtics guard Marcus Smart is of the belief those sorts of performances from Williams are needed for the group to reach its potential.
"We definitely missed that Grant and we're constantly letting him know, 'We need that Grant,'" Smart told reporters, per CLNS Media. "Grant is a big, big part of the equation for us and he's going to help us win a lot of games and we're going to need him. We're going to need him to stay confident and we're going to need him to play exactly how he played tonight."
Of course, it's fair to point out that Williams' contributions on both ends (12 points on 4-for-8 from 3-point range, four assists) came with increased opportunity. Williams played 29 minutes in Wednesday's contest with Jayson Tatum (19 minutes) dealing with foul trouble. Williams' usage comes after he did not play in three of Boston's first six playoff games, one of those being when he was one the floor for 56 seconds in Game 4 against the Atlanta Hawks. Williams played more than 28:57 just 15 times during the regular season.
He made the most of the chance, to be sure.
"For me, it's just a matter of trying to make him work," Williams told reporters of guarding Embiid. "That's what I basically said to him, 'I’m here to make you frustrated, and continue to make this hard for you every single night.' That's my role and that's how I play. That's how I've played the most of my career. I've tried to pride myself on guarding the best players and he's one of those."
Given the depth and combinations of the Celtics, Williams' role might continue to be a game-by-game decision. But defensive-minded performances like that of Game 2 surely will give head coach Joe Mazzulla another difficult decision to make with the series shifting to Game 3 in Philadelphia on Friday.
