Rapid Recap is designed for the busiest of Celtics fans. Whether you can’t stay awake to read 10 paragraphs or your hangover is just too much, Rapid Recap tells the timeline of the game in only a minute or two. (This recap isn’t exactly rapid, but we had good reasons.)
The Celtics were one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals, and after 58 minutes of physical, hotly contested basketball, they still are. The Raptors wouldn’t die, prevailing 125-122 in double overtime. It was a wild, emotional game in which all five Celtics starters and four Raptors starters played 47 or more exhausting minutes.
Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell were clutch for Toronto, while Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis were great for the Celtics. Unfortunately, Kemba Walker was 2 for 11 and just 5 points.
One thing to know up front:
This has been a hell of a game. Two teams just throwing haymakers back and forth.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) September 10, 2020
Game 6️⃣ starters #BleedGreen pic.twitter.com/gxe30LMUz7
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 9, 2020
The early minutes were all about Marcus, as he picked up 2 personals…
And a third 3 from Marcus Smart #Celtics
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) September 9, 2020
Marcus Smart: 3-point specialist is back
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) September 9, 2020
SMART 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/gB3hjOkqPh
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 9, 2020
Lowry committed what could’ve been a flagrant foul, but the refs didn’t bother to check. Jaylen essentially told Lowry to piss off, then completed the 3-point play.
Jaylen gives Lowry the scoot 😬 pic.twitter.com/wBMFy4Pv8t
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) September 9, 2020
Lowry got away with other stuff, too.
both announcers thought this was a good call https://t.co/7Y2xNXE6Ve
— Mikewichter (@mikewichter) September 9, 2020
Credit to Lowry who knows you just need to fall over next to Theis to draw the foul
— Celtics Reddit Podcast (@CelticRedditPod) September 9, 2020
Lowry with the best Grift of the series
— Riffs Man (@Riffs_Man) September 9, 2020
Not a great first quarter, but the Cs were up.
Tatum and Walker….1-9, 0-4 from 4, 3 missed free throws, 5 points combined in the first quarter…
…and the Celtics lead by 4 after one.
— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) September 9, 2020
it all starts on defense pic.twitter.com/WYeVs3xqkE
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 9, 2020
Celtics lead 25-21 after one
Brown – 11 points
Smart – 9 points
Celtics – 30.8% shootingLowry – 8 points
Anunoby – 6 points
Raptors – 30.4% shooting— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) September 9, 2020
The Celtics haven't had more than seven offensive rebounds through five games vs. Toronto.
They have eight after one quarter tonight.
— Chris Grenham (@chrisgrenham) September 9, 2020
On to the 2nd.
11-4 Celtics run to open second quarter.
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) September 9, 2020
Jaylen: spectacular.
Jaylen Brown ladies and gentlemen pic.twitter.com/hVYTcTGZgz
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) September 9, 2020
Celts got the lead up to 12, thanks to back-to-back treys by – yes – Brad Wanamaker.
Tatum 1-7 and you'd barely know it.
— Mark Murphy (@Murf56) September 9, 2020
Then Ibaka hit two straight triples to cut the lead in half. Then he hit another to cut it to 5.
Celtics might just need to go Box-1 on Ibaka.
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) September 9, 2020
Tatum finally made a three to make it 50-40, but Toronto closed on an 8-2 run. Incredibly, Jayson had just 8 points (although 9 rebounds and 4 assists) and Kemba was scoreless! Thank goodness for Jaylen.
Kemba Walker having three shots in 19 minutes and Jaylen Brown having 18 shots in 19 minutes is pretty wild.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) September 9, 2020
Jaylen is just too smooth 😎 pic.twitter.com/nX8nwOvNeU
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) September 9, 2020
21 points are the most Jaylen Brown has ever scored in a half in the postseason
— Max Lederman (@Max_Lederman) September 9, 2020
Jaylen Brown has 21 points in the first half of Game 6 as the Celtics lead the Raptors 52 to 48.
The Celtics are 15-0 this season when Brown scores 25 points. That is the best win percentage of any player in the NBA this season (min. 10 games) in 25-point games. pic.twitter.com/4cPYotRq4R
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 9, 2020
Celtics take a 52-48 lead into the half
Brown: 21pts (8-of-18), 6rebs
Smart: 11pts, 5rebs
Tatum: 8pts (2-of-8)
Walker: 0pts (0-of-3)Lowry: 15pts
Ibaka: 9pts (3-for-3 from 3)
Siakam: 3pts (1-of-7), 5rebs— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) September 9, 2020
Gasol opened the 3rd by draining his first triple of the series, drawing the Raps to within 52-51. Smart answered with his 4th three, then Van Vleet also made a trey, his first in 7 tries. There was good and bad happening.
Jayson Tatum has already tied a career playoff high with six assists.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) September 10, 2020
Fourth foul on Jaylen as he charges into Lowry #Celtics #Raptors
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) September 10, 2020
Kemba finally got on the board.
Spectacular offensive possession by Kemba. Blows by Siakam in isolation, kickout, relocates to the corner for the wide open 3. Kemba's relocation in the bubble has been great pic.twitter.com/HcoQRWA1SB
— Max Carlin (@maxacarlin) September 10, 2020
Then some bullshit happened when Smart got under Van Vleet’s foot on a 3-point attempt and was called for a flagrant. FVV made all 3 FTs, then canned a corner triple.
That was a six-point possession. Huge swing.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) September 10, 2020
It continued with Van Vleet making another three and Gasol, too, for a 70-64 Raptors lead.
Celtics/Raptors scoring by quarter:
Q1: 25-21, BOS
Q2: 27-27
Q3: 28-18, TOR w/3:08 left— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) September 10, 2020
In the mix was a sequence where Tatum drove and bumped Van Vleet, who was crowding him from the side. Offensive foul, negating a hoop. The next Raptors possession saw Siakam do almost exactly the same to Grant Williams – basket good, and-one.
With Tony Brothers taking control of this game wouldn’t it be great to see Brad Stevens show some emotion? pic.twitter.com/SvAnfZpPcG
— Celtics 🇺🇦 Canada 🇨🇦 🏀 (@CelticsCanada) September 10, 2020
Celts regrouped behind threes by Jayson and Grant, but it was another nightmare 3rd quarter, outscored 33-25. Jaylen was scoreless in the period.
Updated Celtics +/- by quarter this series:
1st: +35
2nd: +25
3rd: -37🤮
4th: +8— Max Lederman (@Max_Lederman) September 10, 2020
End of 3Q: Raptors 81, Celtics 77
☘️ Brown: 21 PTS, 7 REB
☘️ Tatum: 17 PTS, 11 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK
☘️ Smart: 14 PTS, 7 REB, 8 AST
🦖 Lowry: 18 PTS, 4 REB
🦖 VanVleet: 16 PTS, 5 REB— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) September 10, 2020
And then, the 4th began and the Cs couldn’t miss from 3: a pair by Jaylen, one by Smart, another by Jayson, and Boston was back on top, 89-88.
The 3s that brought them back in it.#Celtics pic.twitter.com/GLmNnl14Dv
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) September 10, 2020
Smart/Brown/Tatum:
12-of-25 from behind the arc
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) September 10, 2020
JAYSON TATUM FOR THE LEAD pic.twitter.com/3iTuz0D54F
— Dante Turo (@DanteOnDeck) September 10, 2020
Celtics have 24 assists. Love the ball movement.
— Colin (@CM1661) September 10, 2020
Lowry, for all his flopping, is still a great player. He bombed two straight threes to retake the lead, 94-89. Smart responded with a driving and-one.
Just when you think you can't love Marcus Smart anymore than you do.. he proves you wrong.
— Cindy (@cindytweetsalot) September 10, 2020
.@SMART_MS3 ‼️‼️ 😤 pic.twitter.com/AcVvX1OiOd
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 10, 2020
Raptors are not giving up their lead, they're keeping their season alive…
Celtics trail 98-94 w/3:52 left to play
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) September 10, 2020
The Celtics continued to fight and tied the game at 98 on a Theis dunk from a Smart feed, 98-all with 2 minutes left. It stayed that way until the Celts’ final possession. Kemba drove to the rim – and missed. He got fouled, but (shrug emoji).
https://twitter.com/SavageBoston/status/1303863351223746562?s=20
Incredibly, a foul was called on the last-second Toronto inbounds play, as Tatum went up to keep Anunoby from catching a lob. Fortunately, the Cs had a foul to give. One more inbounds play was stopped and it was overtime. Toronto didn’t score for the final 4 minutes.
Wow. Just wow. The same ref who let all that contact go on Kemba called Tatum for that foul.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) September 10, 2020
Last-2-Minute Report probably gonna look bad.
Did Nick Nurse just bait Tatum into that pass lol pic.twitter.com/VPN5GdxqsG
— Isaac (@WorldofIsaac) September 10, 2020
in a four-second span:
1) The Kemba non-foul call
2) Giving the Raptors the timeout instead of jump ball
3) The foul on OG
4) Which was not in the act of shooting?
5) It took 1.3 seconds off the clock???— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) September 10, 2020
In OT…
Only for Norm to respond with a 3. The haymakers continue. https://t.co/EkX3IOqXrG
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) September 10, 2020
Toronto got a gift point when Tatum was T’d up for accidentally hitting a Raptor in the face on a drive. These rules are absurd. That point proved costly.
Powell got fouled and made both, 106-104, Raptors, with 1:32 left. It stayed that way until Boston called time with the ball and 19.1 seconds remaining. Jaylen was fouled after the inbounds and calmly made both to tie it, 18.9 remaining.
106-106 after the first overtime
Brown – 31 points, 16 rebounds
Tatum – 22/14/8
Smart – 20/11/9
Celtics – 17-43 three-pointersLowry – 29 points
VanVleet – 21 points
Powell – 13 points
Raptors – 17-45 three-pointers— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) September 10, 2020
Powell missed the last shot and we went to double OT.
Norm Powell iso is the play?
— Jam Packard (@JamPackard) September 10, 2020
Bodies are everywhere. Refs don't know what to call. Everyone must be exhausted. This game is great fun, but in a sick and twisted way.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) September 10, 2020
Celtics starters have been in since the final minute of the third quarter.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) September 10, 2020
The battle went back and forth in the second OT. Boston went up 4, Raps tied it, Smart hit a three, Powell matched it. Celts were up 2 when Theis was fouled with 3:07 to go – but the call was challenged and overturned. Raptors got possession and tied the game.
Finally, Anunoby hit a three to put Toronto up 1 and, after a steal, Powell scored a layup and-one. Raptors, 121-117 with 38.8 left.
Norman Powell with the TOUGH finish 😤 pic.twitter.com/e0gGsBNfAF
— NBA TV (@NBATV) September 10, 2020
Tatum quickly scored after a timeout, by Lowry hit a dagger jumper to restore the 4-point lead.
Relive Kyle Lowry's CLUTCH jumper to seal the @Raptors 2OT W and force a GAME 7 on Friday at 9:00pm/et on TNT!#NBAPlayoffs #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/d0RrsMv90h
— NBA (@NBA) September 10, 2020
Tatum swished a desperate triple and it was 123-122. Powell was fouled with 5.0 seconds, made both, 125-122. A set play saw Tatum throw a long inbounds pass to Smart, who got a decent look to tie it, but missed as he was heavily contested.
Raptors shot 6 of 7 in the 2nd OT, including 2 threes, plus 5 of 5 at the line. Celts were 7 of 12 but zero FTs in the 5 minutes. Game 7 coming up.
FINAL: Raptors 125, Celtics 122 (2 OT)
☘️ Brown: 31 PTS, 16 REB, 2 STL
☘️ Tatum: 29 PTS, 14 REB, 9 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK
☘️ Smart: 23 PTS, 11 REB, 10 AST
🦖 Lowry: 33 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) September 10, 2020
Marcus Smart finished with 23 points (7-15 FG, 6-11 3-PT), 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, making him the first Celtics player to record a triple-double in the postseason since Rajon Rondo on June 9, 2012 (at Miami)
— Celtics Stats (@celtics_stats) September 10, 2020
The conversation now will be very much about the officiating, seeing as how the game turned around with the 6-point possession and then several replay reviews and contested calls all went Toronto’s way. Don’t take my word for it. Here are the thoughts of noted ref skeptic MikeWichter…
the sad thing about the nba? we all know at 10am this morning this game would be one sided with the refs We all knew it. this is how donaghy made a ton of money. He knew based on officiating assignments. that is a problem. well done @nba
— Mikewichter (@mikewichter) September 10, 2020
…Chuck, the realist…
What was your favorite officiating decision?
— Chuck M. (@McK_Chuck) September 10, 2020
…and one of the smartest, most sensible and reasonable people on Twitter, Dangercart. If he says this, something is really wrong.
Refs stole the game. If we lose Game 7 they stole the series. I don’t want to hear about how we had chances and shit. We won the game and they took it away.
— Ryan Bernardoni (@dangercart) September 10, 2020
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