Celtics' fingerprints all over both instant classic play-in game victories

The Celtics weren’t in action on Tuesday night, and the two play-in games had no impact on their playoff matchup, but the franchise's impact was felt throughout the night in a big way.

First, in the Eastern Conference’s 9/10 play-in game, the Hornets hosted the Heat in a game that was easy to choose a side in. Charlotte, one of the NBA’s most surprising stories this year, led by Charles Lee, Joe Mazzulla’s former assistant in Boston, installed the three-point shooting, offensive rebounding attack that Celtics fans know and love.

He has brought the spirit of the 2024 champions down south, and in year two, he has already made a massive difference, and it was on display on Tuesday, as they won a miraculous overtime thriller, 127-126 over Boston’s most famous recent adversary, the Miami Heat, who tried to pull out all their usual tricks, even forcing former Celtic, Grant Williams, to take and miss big shots down the stretch, but to no avail.

The former Celtics eliminated the hated Heat and will move on to play the loser of the 7/8 play-in game between the 76ers and Magic on Friday night for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.

Jrue Holiday and Rob Williams help Blazers secure 7 seed

Then, in the nightcap, it was more recent former Celtics front and center, as Jrue Holiday helped trigger an excellent two-way effort for the Trail Blazers, playing a big part in their heroic comeback win over the Suns, 114-110 to clinch the 7-seed in the Western Conference, and a first-round date with Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.

Jrue dropped 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists with his typically stellar defense in the impressive Portland victory. It was a bit of an eyebrow-raiser when they traded for Holiday last offseason, sending Anfernee Simons to Boston and offering some cap relief in the process. There was confusion as to why a young, seemingly rebuilding Blazers team would want to take on the big contract of the veteran Holiday.

But the consummate professional and champion that he is, Jrue has stepped right in and become a leader, helping to instill a culture that has immediately paid dividends, resulting in a trip to the playoffs despite their head coach being arrested and put on leave as part of an investigation into illegal gambling.

And another big part of Portland’s success has been Rob Williams, who played an important bench role as a backup center behind Donovan Clingan. The Timelord has settled into a role where he can exert his maximum effort and energy in short bursts, supplying his usual rim running and protection.

At age 28, and having settled into a solid bench role player, Rob is coming up on free agency this summer, and fans shouldn’t rule out a Boston reunion for the Timelord on a cheap deal as a backup to Neemias Queta.

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