Brad Wanamaker ‘impacted us quite a bit’ in key Game 5 stretch vs. Toronto Raptors

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2020/09/boston-celtics-brad-wanamaker-impacted-us-quite-a-bit-in-key-game-5-stretch-vs-toronto-raptors.html



Boston Celtics Brad Wanamaker ‘impacted us quite a bit’ in key Game 5 stretch vs. Toronto Raptors



Updated 9:26 AM; Today 6:00 AM




Boston Celtics' Brad Wanamaker (9) tries to get the ball past Toronto Raptors' Terence Davis (0) during the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)AP


By John Karalis | JKaralis@masslive.com



Blowouts become blowouts because one team goes on a run and the other can’t match it. That means there’s a stretch at some point before a lead grows to 30 points when the game could have turned in a different direction.

In Game 5 between the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors, that stretch came in the second quarter. Boston’s once 17 point lead had dropped down to 12. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had each scored but the lead was still just 14 after baskets by Serge Ibaka, Kyle Lowry, and Fred VanVleet. Then an unlikely Celtic changed the game.


Brad Wanamaker.

“He was in the right spots and he was just ready to shoot. And he hit some big shots today,” Jayson Tatum said after the game. “It’s the playoffs. Different nights it’s going to be different guys, maybe unexpected guys off the bench to give you that spark, that extra boost that you may need. Brad played great tonight. We’re going to need him.”


A Wanamaker layup pushed the lead to 16 with 6:19 left in the half. Four minutes later, Wanamaker hit a 3-pointer to give Boston a 27 point lead.

In those four minutes, Wanamaker scored seven points and assisted on 3′s from Tatum and Marcus Smart, meaning he had a hand in 13 points of a 19-4 run that broke the game open.

“I don’t know how long he played in that first half, but it felt like 13 or 14 minutes. It was hard to take him out,” Brad Stevens said. “He was playing great. When they go to their zones and they go to things like that, he’s got such a great feel for the game, such great instincts that he can just kind of adjust with the flow. So I thought he did a great job, impacted us quite a bit.”


A lot of his damage was done when the Toronto Raptors went super-small. In a series where the right matchup can make all the difference in the world, having Wanamaker in against the small Raptors perimeter provided a strong, reliable guard who isn’t afraid of the stage.

Wanamaker was the Finals MVP in the highly competitive Turkish and German leagues. He has won championships in Europe and been an All-Star there. While the NBA talent level is obviously different, the pressure and intensity are still present among the extraordinarily passionate fans.

He’s a player who will have his ups and downs, but Stevens is fond of calling Wanamaker a “pro” for a reason. In this pivotal game, at a pivotal time, Wanamaker was able to make his most important contribution of the season without a hint of anxiety in his game. As the Celtics try to bridge gaps until Gordon Hayward’s return, Wanamaker’s second quarter of what was then still a close game deserves to stand a lone and be recognized.


bob


.