Celtics Overcome A 16-0 Deficit To Take Game 1 From The Wizards
There are a lot of people who thought the Celtics were dead when they went down 16-0 to the Wizards in the first quarter on Sunday afternoon. There were also a lot of people who thought the Celtics were dead when they went down 2-0 to the Bulls in the first round.
But if you’ve been following this team all year, you know that they’re not exactly known for taking the traditional route when it comes to winning. Somehow, though, they get it done.
In the first Conference Semifinal game at the Garden in five years, the C’s looked completely out of sync through the opening six minutes. Washington scored the first 16 points and quickly jumped out to a 20-5 lead.
Then Isaiah Thomas got his tooth knocked out and went into beast mode:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTiKFauDop2/?taken-by=bostonsbigfour
After trimming the deficit down to five by halftime, Boston tied things up at 42 on a Jae Crowder three with 7:42 left in the third quarter. They outscored Washington 36-16 in the third to take a 15-point lead and never looked back.
Avery Bradley provided the daggers with a couple minutes to go in the game, burying a clutch three and then coming up with a steal and assist to Jae Crowder:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BThXUSJDQUa/?taken-by=bostonsbigfour
Despite getting his tooth knocked out, IT dropped a game-high 33 points to go along with his 9 assists. Al Horford continues to be impressive in the postseason, just missing a triple-double with 21 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds.
Other notable performances:
Jae Crowder – 24 points, 6 rebounds
Avery Bradley – 18 points, 4 assists, 4 steals
Kelly Olynyk – 12 points, 4 rebounds
Terry Rozier – 4 points, 8 rebounds
Here are the full highlights from the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hhu8F13ixo
The C’s will look to take a 2-0 series lead on Tuesday in Boston. Tip-off is at 8 pm.
Follow Jack Bardsley on Twitter @BostonsBigFour