The Boston Celtics just couldn’t get close in their 110-99 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
Every time they took a step in the right direction, the Hawks pushed the lead right back to four or five possessions.
It truly was one of the more infuriating games to watch this season. From viewing alone you’d probably think Atlanta didn’t miss a single 3-pointer all night. They were hot, and there wasn’t much the Celtics could do about it.
The Cs did manage to stop Trae Young from being a scoring threat… but we all know what his biggest strength is.
He picked apart Boston’s defense all night, passing out of double-teams right to open shooters and they didn’t disappoint.
Bogdanovic and Huerter shot a combined 9-17 from beyond the arc, and those were largely the difference in the end.
It was a discouraging loss, but some good can be taken out of it.
Regardless, here are the 3 takeaways…
Boston Celtics takeaway No. 1) Cs are not the same without Timelord
Boston Celtics center, Robert Williams, is nothing short of a defensive anchor.
He is a top-tier shot-blocker with the capabilities to guard on the perimeter as well as the post. He has been absolutely exceptional for the Cs this year, and they missed him dearly tonight.
So far this season, Williams is averaging one steal and 1.8 blocks per game, but those raw numbers don’t do the justice that Williams deserves, for the number of shots he prevents from ever happening in the paint is a whole different story.
However, the paint is not the only place he defends shots at a high level.
The fourth-year anchor is holding opponents to 30.3 percent on 5.1 3-point attempts per game. His shot blocking ability is bound to no space or time, as his alias would suggest.
According to PBPstats, Robert Williams is a big-time difference maker for the Cs on both ends. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 107 and an offensive rating of 98 with Williams off the floor, which would be good for the 14th ranked defense and 29th ranked offense.
With Williams on the court, the defensive rating is 103 and their offensive rating is 111, which are good for the sixth-ranked defense and fourth-ranked offense.
What is there to say?
With the Timelord on the court, the Boston Celtics are pretty much a top-5 team on both ends. They missed him, as they will in almost every game he sits.
Let’s pray for a quick recovery.