Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I still don’t think the Celtics can pull off a comeback, but I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if it did.
On today’s SI:AM:
🏀 Analyzing LeBron’s retirement speculation
🤔 How Carmelo could have changed the history of the Pistons
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Boston avoids a sweep
The Celtics will be able to play at least one more game at home.
Boston won Game 4 against the Heat comfortably last night, 116–99, to avoid what would have been a baffling and embarrassing sweep. A return to the NBA Finals still seems unlikely, but the Celtics at least survived to make it a possibility.
The difference was simple. In the first three games of the series, Boston struggled to connect three point shots, scoring just 29.2% of his shots from behind the arc and just 10.3 per game. But they found their shot last night, making 18-of-45 3-point attempts (40%), compared to Miami’s 8-of-32.
The Celtics were among the best 3-point shooting teams in the NBA this season, averaging 16 triples per game, second only to the Warriors (16.6). His three-point shooting percentage was 37.7%, sixth in the NBA. And perimeter shooting got them through the first two rounds of the playoffs. They shot 40.6% from deep as a team against the Hawks in Round 1 and 38.6% against the Sixers, making their struggles in the first three games against Miami all the more perplexing.
“I still think we can shoot the ball much better” jaylen brown told reporters after last night’s game. “I think I had some good shots that didn’t go in, but tomorrow, the next game is a new game. I feel like as we continue to build confidence, if we continue to see the ball go over the net, I think we’re going to feel good about ourselves.”
Brown has been at the center of the Celtics’ shooting woes. After shooting 47.1% from 3-point range in the first two rounds of the playoffs, has made just three of his 25 3-point attempts in this series (12%). He went 1 for 5 last night, so the Celtics should be encouraged after they were able to win convincingly despite another bad night from their second scoring option.
The other deciding factor in Game 4 was the boston defense. After allowing 120.7 points per game in the first three games of the series, the Celtics, owning a top-five regular-season defense by opponent points per game, held the Heat to 99 points. It was only the second time this postseason that Miami had been held below 100 points.
A Celtics comeback would be nothing short of miraculous. No NBA team has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series. But if there was ever a team capable of pulling off a historic comeback, it’s these Celtics. The Heat have had a remarkable run. Their victories over the Bucks and Knicks were no flukes, but it’s been fun to watch them this postseason simply because of how unlikely their success seemed. jimmy butler, Bam Adebayoa group of undrafted boys and two aged former champions (Kyle Lowry and kevin love) doesn’t really sound like a recipe for success. And yet, Miami has made that formula work well enough to be on the brink of the NBA Finals. But Boston was a much better team during the regular season and was uncharacteristically bad in the first three games of the series. If the Celtics version that appeared last night continues to appear for the duration of this series, It’s not a foregone conclusion that the Heat will be able to shut him down..
The best of Sports Illustrated
Ashley Landis/AP
- LeBron James’ retirement comments have put the Lakers in a team building dilemma, writes Chris Mannix.
- On the occasion of the retirement of Carmelo Anthony, Michael Rosenberg Remember how the Pistons’ unfortunate decision to draft Darko Miličić altered Detroit history.
- Will Zach Edey and other college basketball stars decide to go back to school or stay in the NBA draft? Kevin Sweeney breaks down the biggest remaining decisions.
- The NFL has adopted a fair catch rule for kickoffs basically identical to the one used in college football.
- Heat point guard Tyler Herro has been cleared to resume basketball activities. but there is still no date for his return.
- It’s never too early to look Next year’s NFL draft. Matt Verderame ranks the top 25 prospects for 2024.
- damar hamlin returned to practice for the first time since he suffered a cardiac arrest on the field.
The first five…
…things I saw last night:
5. Derrick White block and the crisp passes of the Celtics in the counterattack that followed.
4. The standing ovation for Juan Soto on his return to Washington and his long home run in the seventh.
3. the golden knights pair of goals with little more than a minute of difference in the first period, prompting Stars coach Peter DeBoer to retire goaltender Jake Oettinger. Vegas won, 4-0, to take a 3-0 series lead.
2. Player position Luke Raley Punch out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in a 50 mph launch that Guerrero attempted to land on the moon.
1. Guerrero’s thunderous grand slam from a nearly identical pitch by Raley in the next inning. (It was part of a 20 run outburst for the Blue Jays.)
SIQ
The enigmatic pitcher Cletus Poffenberger, who was suspended by the Dodgers after failing to show up for a game this week in 1939, was best known for what clothing-inspired nickname?
- Socks
- Shoes
- Boots
- Pants
YES from yesterday: Three NBA teams found themselves down 3-0 in a seven-game playoff series and forced a Game 7. Which teams participated in the most recent series to get to that point?
Answer: The Mavericks and the Trail Blazers in 2003. The third-seeded Mavs won the first two games of their first-round series at home before Dirk Nowitzki’s 42-point performance in Game 3 put Dallas on the brink of the second round.
The Blazers responded in Game 4 with a 19-point victory before going on the road and mounting a great fourth quarter to force the series to a sixth game. Portland earned a huge victory at home to reach Game 7.
The decider was tight in three quarters with the Trail Blazers up two. But the Mavs’ offense was too good in the last stanza.. Only three players shot (Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Nick Van Exel), shooting 13-of-17 and outscoring Portland by 14 to win by 12. Dallas ended up reaching the conference finals after beating the Kings in seven in the second round. They lost to the eventual champion Spurs in six games. —Josh Rosenblat
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