Inside Robert Williams game-changing stint for Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors in Game 2

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2020/09/inside-robert-williams-game-changing-stint-for-boston-celtics-vs-toronto-raptors-in-game-2.html



Inside Robert Williams game-changing stint for Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors in Game 2



Updated 4:52 PM; Today 4:52 PM




Boston Celtics' Robert Williams III (44) goes up for a dunk between Toronto Raptors' Serge Ibaka (9) and OG Anunoby (3) in the first half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)AP



By John Karalis | JKaralis@masslive.com



Robert Williams checked into Game 2 between the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors with 6:25 left in the first quarter and Boston down 15-9. Boston’s had already given up easy transition baskets without much effort to stop the ball, Daniel Theis had already lost Marc Gasol on the slowest backdoor cut of all time, and the defensive rotations weren’t exactly crisp.

“He’s the only reason we were in the game in the first quarter,” Brad Stevens said after the 102-99 win. “I did not think we started well. I thought our first six minutes were sloppy and I didn’t think we got to our spots. I think the pace that Toronto was playing at was much different than our pace. But when he came in, he kinda changed it and made enough plays to get us into the quarter tied.”

It’s impossible to quantify the butterfly effect in sports. Robert Williams may exist in multiple dimensions, but the rest of us do not. We only saw Williams come in with the Celtics down six and then start the second quarter tied after he hit all five of his shots. So I can’t sit here and say, for sure, that Williams came in and saved the Celtics. They may still have won this game if he wasn’t good.

However, Toronto had come out with good energy and momentum. They were building something and, after having spent their last 96 minutes of basketball against the Celtics playing from behind, there seemed to be some growing confidence in the Raptors. Who knows how they would have built on that, and I won’t go down the many rabbit holes of shooting with confidence having a lead or being tight playing from behind, but the game certainly would have gone differently.

Instead. Williams came in and made a difference. Here’s a look at how.

Kemba Walker and Williams immediately connected on an alley oop that showed the threat of the Walker pull-up jumper and the freakish athleticism of Williams.


Kemba Walker to Robert Williams


When Walker comes off the pick, he has Williams open for a pocket pass at the free throw line. If that had been Daniel Theis, Walker might have thrown that pass. With Williams rolling, Walker can probe just a little deeper. If Gasol bites on the lob threat, then Walker would have taken it all the way to the hole. Gasol didn’t, and Walker knew that all he needed to do was loft the ball towards the rim to get the finish.

Williams gave Walker options, both of which would have been at the rim. Theis, or maybe Kanter, would have given Walker options too, but those options were more likely to be jumpers than layups or dunks.

After a nicely defended pick and roll that resulted in a Gasol kickout to a missed 3, Williams had this nicely defended sequence where he contributed to two missed shots.



Robert Williams defensive positioning

A lack of fundamentals have plagued Williams over two years, but he had them here. Getting low and wide off the Fred VanVleet drive, and then sliding his feet rather than turning his hips and chasing. VanVleet didn’t even bother attempting the reverse layup because he knew the ultra-athletic Williams was still on his tail. When he kicked it out to Pascal Siakam, Williams patrolling the paint (along with an assist from Jaylen Brown, who closed the gap nicely) forced Siakam to take a fadeaway jumper rather than attempt a strong drive.


Here’s another play later on where he displayed similar fundamentals. He’s low, his arms are out wide into passing lanes, and the result is a deflection that leads to a fastbreak. To cap it off, his hustle led to a tip-in on the other end.


Robert Williams steal and tip in


Williams screening was mostly good in this game, too. He ran a high pick-and-roll with Brown where he set the screen a perfect angle to sent the defender over the top and, as he was chasing, into Brown for a 3-point play. He also ran this play that I’ve highlighted before where the big running down the middle of the floor screens for the wing to step into a 3-pointer.


Robert Williams screens for Jaylen Brown


He had a similar play with Tatum later where he didn’t hold onto the screen long enough and Tatum’s shot was challenged and missed. He knew it right away, which is a good sign.

The threat of Williams has stated to cause some mistakes defensively, like here where both Siakam and Serge Ibaka are worried about him. When Brown drives and Ibaka goes over to help OG Anunoby, Williams makes a great read to get into a spot for the pass.


Jaylen Brown finds Robert Williams for the dunk


Of course, Williams will always impact the game with his athleticism. His follow dunk off of Kemba Walker’s missed 3-pointer is one of the most ridiculous plays you’ll see.


Boston Celtics
@celtics
Time Lord is taking over in Orlando
https://twitter.com/i/status/1300919763023966208

And capping the quarter off with a jump shot was hilarious. Taking that with seven seconds left on the clock might not have been his best decision, but at that point Williams had earned himself a heat check of sorts.

Williams is still making mistakes but so are all players in this series. No one will have a perfect game. What Williams is doing against Toronto is increasingly focusing on his fundamentals and letting his athleticism support that versus relying on his athleticism to do everything on the floor. In this stint, Williams did some very good things that gave Boston its chance to stay in a game that seemed to be getting away from them quickly.


bob



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gyso wrote:Great article Bob.  Some day I would like for you to show me how to copy the images, text and videos from an article and post it here.  

I can copy the text easily, I can get the images with a little work but I cannot get the videos at all.

Gyso,

Gifs are the same as jpegs. The 2nd option from the left, in the same grouping as YouTube.


bob


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