Grant Williams showed his value on both ends of the floor in Game 4
BOSTON -- It has been one wild and interesting postseason for Celtics forward Grant Williams. After playing such a crucial role in Boston's trip to the NBA Finals last postseason, he's been reduced to a minor role for much of this year's playoffs.
But when he plays, Williams tends to make an impact one way or another. And with Boston facing a win-or-go-home situation in Tuesday night's Game 4 in Miami, Williams made an impact in a bunch of different ways.
The versatile forward made the most of his 29 minutes on the floor against the Heat, dropping 14 points on 4-for-7 shooting. All four of those makes were from downtown, which helped spark the Celtics to hit their magic number from 3-point range: 40 percent. The Celtics have shot 40 percent or better from 3-point land 39 times this season, and have have now won 37 of those contests. When the threes aren't dropping and the C's shoot below 40 percent, they are just 29-31.
Williams' two triples in the third quarter helped the Celtics tack on to their lead, as Boston outscored Miami 38-23 in the frame. But he did a lot more than just hit shots. He corralled six rebounds for Boston, including a pair on the offensive end that led to points for the Celtics.
His biggest play came in the fourth quarter on the defensive end. Down by nine with under nine minutes to play, the Heat desperately needed a bucket. They put the ball in Jimmy Butler's hands and let him go to work, but Williams wasn't having any of it.
He stayed in front of Butler as he drove to the paint, and didn't fall for an up-fake. When Butler did attempt a turnaround, Williams was there to reject the attempt. He came down with the ball, and Marcus Smart canned a three on the other end to put the Celtics ahead by double digits.
Williams' performance in the 116-99 win was not lost on his teammates.
"Huge. Huge. He's a great professional," said Smart. "His professionalism is underrated. We talk a lot about Grant, but we love Grant and we love everything he brings to this team. You need a guy like Grant on your team to win, and he helps us win games. When he's playing like that and he's focused like that, we're going to be all right.
"Grant comes in and adds to winning," said Jaylen Brown. "When he plays composed and keeps his head, he can be a tremendous asset. Just gotta keep talking to him, keep letting him know where the game is at, keep telling him to make the plays, play within his role, and I think did he that tonight."
"Grant just played solid," said head coach Joe Mazzulla. "Made open shots, did a great job screening versus switch, and just executed the game plan defensively."
Now the question is what took so long for Williams to get back into the Celtics lineup. He was in Mazzulla's doghouse for most of the end of the regular season, but has proven that he deserves more playing time when he's gotten the chance in the playoffs.
The Celtics still have a lot of work to do, now down 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Given how he's played in the last three games, Williams should be part of the team's regulars the rest of the way.
