-
Andrew LopezESPN
BOSTON – For the fourth season in a row, the Boston Bruins have been named the Best Place to Live. Boston CelticsThey are heading to the Eastern Conference finals. They hope to take it one more time.
They will have to do exactly the same thing the TD Garden crowd began chanting late last quarter: “Beat Heat!”
Grant WilliamsScored a career-high 27 point, Jayson TatumThe Celtics won the playoffs with 22 3-pointers, a record for a playoff team. Milwaukee Bucks 109-81Sunday afternoon at the TD Garden, Game 7.
Boston was unsuccessful in the Eastern Conference finals three times before. The Celtics defeated the defending champions Sunday to give hope that this year’s NBA Finals could be the first for the legendary franchise since 2010.
The Celtics will need to pass the top-seeded teams to reach that point. Miami Heat. This best-of-seven series will begin in Miami on Tuesday.
Williams had never attempted more eight 3-pointers in one game before this series. In Game 2, he was only 6-of-9 from deep, but he blew them out of the water with Game 7.
His 18 attempts are the highest number of attempted 3-pointers in Game 7 NBA history. Ray Allen also holds the record for most 3-point attempts by a Celtics player, with 18 attempts. This was in a triple overtime game against the Bulls. His seven assists tie him with Stephen CurryMarcus Morris and (twice) Marcus Morris are the two players who have made the most 3-pointers in Game 7.
Williams wasn’t a 3-point shooter when he entered the NBA. He made just 15 3s in his last season at Tennessee, and only 30 during his entire career as a Volunteer. In his rookie season, he was able to shoot 25% from 3, but he improved this to 37.2% last year. He shot 3.4 per game this season and nailed 41.1% of his attempts.
Williams, however, was struggling against the Bucks. He had been just 2-of-14 in four of his previous games from deep and went just 2-of-14 in Game 2. Milwaukee decided to leave Williams exposed for the majority of this game. He responded with a shot from the left wing, which was his first shot. He kept firing away after that.
Boston shot 22-of-54 in the 3-point range to win the game, while the Bucks went just 4-of 32.
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, that’s the largest 3-point differential in a Game 7 in NBA history and tied for the largest 3-point differential in any playoff game (Golden State had 21 to Oklahoma City’s 3 in Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference finals).
The Eastern Conference Finals will begin in Miami on Tuesday night.