3 X-factors that will help clinch Game 4 series sweep for the Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics have played lights out throughout this first round of the 2022 postseason and, heading into Monday’s bout in Brooklyn, they have a chance to wrap up this best-of-seven series in a sweep fashion.

Coming into the festivities, while people still had the C’s coming away from this quarterfinals matchup victorious, many were under the impression that the Nets, what with their star-studded dynamic duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, would put up a major fight and have things go the distance.

Instead, however, Boston is on the brink of exacting revenge against the same team that trounced them from round one of the playoffs just a year ago, and, to us, in order for them to accomplish this in Game 4, 3 players will have to give it their all:

Boston Celtics player No. 1) Robert Williams III

After missing nearly a month of action due to a torn meniscus in his left knee, Robert Williams III stepped back onto the floor in Game 3 where he served as a galvanizing commodity within the rotation, despite being on a minutes restriction.

Sure there was a bit of rust in his game, but the big man’s energy, hustle, and sheer presence on the hardwood provided fans with enough confidence to believe that, heading into Game 4, he could jump right back into having a similar impact down low for this championship-aspiring squad that he did throughout his breakout regular season.

In 15:34 of playtime, Time Lord put up two points, two rebounds, one assist, and one stellar block while making his lone attempt on the night.

Though this log-line may not consist of the sexiest of numbers, the way in which he produced them should indeed be viewed as an all-out positive, for all year long Williams has served as a highly efficient rim-running and paint protecting big and, in his limited run Saturday night, he managed to showcase both of these attributes almost immediately upon checking in.

With his first game back now in the rearview, the majority of cobwebs should have been shaken off. In a contest where he saw an incredibly diluted role due to precautions, Robert Williams proved to be an absolute positive contributor for his squad (tied for the second-best plus-minus rating on the C’s).

In Game 4, it’s almost certain that, barring any setbacks, he’ll see an increased workload within Ime Udoka’s rotation and, as a result, we believe this will only go on to improve Boston’s chances of closing things out.