The Celtics avenged their Game 2 blowout with an outstanding 125-119 win in Game 3, off the back of a 50-6-7-2-1 performance. (One of only six 50-point playoff games in Celtics history, BTW.)
The way this game unfolded, doing a real-time-style recap seemed appropriate. Before we start:
Kyrie was right, Bruce Brown is right, Tristan and Marcus are right, Jaylen is right. Letโs just listen and grow and not use people against each other. Thereโs a better way forward
— Riffs Man (@Riffs_Man) May 28, 2021
As for the basketball:
Celtics down 19-4 before the first commercial break and you canโt even blame it on a lack of effort or heart bc theyโre clearly playing with both. This season has been rough.
— Whiter Than Veneers (@BostonJerry) May 29, 2021
Although Kemba drew first blood, the Nets offensive buzzsaw quickly screamed to life and started chewing through Celtics defenders’ flesh and bones like confetti. It was all so goddamn fast you could hardly tell whether Boston was truly defending poorly or being blitzed by an unstoppable force. (In this case I’m leaning toward the latter.)
Back-to-back buckets from Jayson Tatum and this crowd at TD Garden is back up…
— Josue Pavรณn (@Joe_Sway) May 29, 2021
Props to JT for catching fire and putting some cramp in the Nets step, as well as the team overall (led by Marcus Smart) imposing some physicality wherever possible. The Nets’ own defense yielded from the counterpunch, and at the end of Q1, the home team that’d been down 15 was up 33-32.
Jayson Tatum with the block on KD and goes coast to coast for the finish #Celtics Rewind presented by @tmobile pic.twitter.com/ZzpakQYtBT
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 29, 2021
AND ONE ๐ค pic.twitter.com/Wo6IZfltzG
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 29, 2021
keep eatin JT, its all you ๐๐ผ pic.twitter.com/3TtR2XPB3k
— smarfwaterโข (@smarfwater) May 29, 2021
With Tatum supremely in his bag and Marcus not far off (en route to a 23-3-6-1 line for the game), the Cs continued to pour on as much punishment as possible and held their lead for the early going of Q2. The Nets’ level of firepower meant Boston never got things into blowout territory, but any lead against Brooklyn is one you cherish.
Feelin' it ๐ pic.twitter.com/OwIjCFP8zj
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 29, 2021
Celtics with a 21-12 edge on the glass. Tristan Thompson looking like the Cav that used to give Al Horford nightmares with 6 offensive rebounds already.
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) May 29, 2021
"dont say my cars topless
say the TT's is out" pic.twitter.com/ATOnTmIM8C— fraser ramon (@SteveMerkle9) May 29, 2021
Tristan Thompson has been a force and let's it be known on this dunk ๐ค#Celtics Rewind presented by @tmobile pic.twitter.com/t3lwImgURM
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 29, 2021
Grant Williams … on the block? pic.twitter.com/zjLoUBzlka
— A. Sherrod Blakely (@ASherrodblakely) May 29, 2021
That’s because Grant Williams was capably defending James Harden. No small feat!
Grant Williams got up to block Harden here: pic.twitter.com/JQJ9wmFa8U
— Chris Grenham (@chrisgrenham) May 29, 2021
Oh yes. pic.twitter.com/5M5k3H7Hfn
— griftrix (@trixiesname) May 29, 2021
Tatum was undoubtedly the star of the first half, but the Frenchman did start to get his jumper off as halftime crept up on us, with the Cs holding their lead atย 61-57.
YIKES ๐ฑ๐คฏ pic.twitter.com/kyg1I3vO85
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 29, 2021
This gave me no small amount of glee:
Celtics continue to go after Blake pretty relentlessly.
— Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) May 29, 2021
IMO, if Kyrie Irving annoys you more than Blake Griffin, you should re-evaluate your priorities. But I digress: Boston kept a small but respectable lead going through the opening of the second half. Brooklyn’s offensive punch had weakened notably as Kyrie seemed unable to get out of a slump. There was no Celtics answer for Kevin Durant, but they had answers for most other Nets players. Also, the Nets had no answer for Tatum or Smart.
Heโs on the moon pic.twitter.com/7nNQPINwp9
— ๐๏ธ๐ท๐๏ธ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฝ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ (@manbearpiggins) May 29, 2021
Marcus Smart is coming up big tonight and knocks down another 3#Celtics Rewind presented by @tmobile pic.twitter.com/xU7ZrRv3yc
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 29, 2021
But the story had been, and remained, Jayson Tatum.
Jayson Tatum. This is unfair https://t.co/aqHYf1IM4t
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) May 29, 2021
With 12 minutes to go Boston held aย 96-84 lead. Now, I should note that I’m not always enamored of Bernardoni’s doomerism, but his point below was spot on. It would take the full squad to hold this lead.
Jayson is going to see triple-teams for the next 12 minutes. Kemba and Fournier are going to have to hit the shots and Marcus needs to pick the right shots to take.
— Ryan Bernardoni (@dangercart) May 29, 2021
Who he left out of that equation was Tristan Thompson, who may tonight have had his best game as a Celtic, racking up 19 points, 13 boards (9 of them offensive) and a dime for the night. As more than a few fans pointed out, it was like the games he had againstย the Celtics so many goddamn times back in the day!
Celtics might want to get the ball to that 40-point scorer on offense a little more.
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) May 29, 2021
Things were dicey in the 4th with Tatum off of the court (and even for the first minute he was back on). Kyrie made a couple of big threes to draw things closer, and James Harden took the reins to score about a third of his total points in the final frame.
But Tatum and Smart just kept pushing, and Fournier made critical jumpers seemingly whenever Brooklyn got within anything resembling striking distance.
Tatum improvement as s playmaker cant be understated, thats 3 straight assists
— Zach ๐ (@NAACPYOUNGBOY) May 29, 2021
Tatum is up to 48 points (15-for-27), 7 assists and 6 rebounds.
— Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) May 29, 2021
Some questionable reffing and one or two goofy fouls got things a bit nail-biting in the final minutes, but in the end Tatum’s Herculean play and the squad’s inspiring effort kept the Celtics alive in a series they were widely expected to be swept in.
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