It led to some much improved ball movement in Game 3, which helped stabilize the Boston attack whenever Miami went on its own run. (He did it twice). His numbers don't pop like other players in this series, but his willingness to do all the little things ties everything together for the Celtics on both ends of the court. Adebayo ran circles around the Bucks in the previous round, posting averages of 17.2 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Offensively, he's proven to be one of the best passers at the centre position, as well as one of the league's most feared rollers and cutters, someone who can do things like this... Dragic gets downhill and finds Bam on ABC! Who are some potential free agent targets? ©2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Celtics have reached three of the last four Eastern Conference finals and are expected to be a contender again this season. In addition to averaging 23.4 points per game in Miami's second-round series with Milwaukee, Butler led the league in fourth quarter scoring. Before the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat face off, our NBA.com Staff rank the best players in the Eastern Conference Finals. High expectations mean high stakes for the 2020-21 Boston Celtics. If he doesn’t shoot it 15 times, it doesn’t bother him one bit.”, “It was great to have Gordon there and play with that lineup,” said Tatum, who had 25 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists in Game 3. Player roster with photos, bios, and stats. Lowest rank: 5. And when that quintet did take the floor, the results weren’t very glorious. Malden Police Investigate Double Shooting, I-Team: Family Of Framingham Woman Murdered In 2001 Demands Answers From DA, Boy Reported Missing From Worcester Found Safe. We won’t get it all back in one game, just have to take it one game at a time.”, By viewing our video content, you are accepting the terms of our. Highest rank: 4. “It seems like a group we might see a little more often, especially at the end of games. By. All NBA News. “We’re still losing and we know that. Goran Dragic or Gordon Hayward? There’s even more sense of urgency when you’re down,” said Tatum. “We are still down 2-1, so it’s never a time to relax in a series until it’s over. NBA Playoffs 2020: Ranking the best players on the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. All rights reserved. Because that lineup was a force in their six minutes together in Game 3, with a plus-86 rating in that brief span of time. Jayson Tatum, right, hit the game-winner, but Jaylen Brown was the Celtics best player Wednesday night. They played just 21 minutes as a unit during the regular season, and touted a 97.4 offensive rating and 118.9 defensive rating. Up to the task were three members of our NBA.com Staff: Gilbert McGregor, Kyle Irving and myself. @raf_tyler was built for these moments. At long last, the Eastern Conference Finals is set. Theis outplayed Marc Gasol and held his own against Serge Ibaka in the previous round. That's not to discredit what he has done in the regular season - he was the key to the Heat returning to the playoffs this season - but he's at his best when the lights are at their brightest. If anyone was wondering why Smart made the All-Defensive First Team this season... W-I-N-N-I-N-G P-L-A-Y-S pic.twitter.com/tTz2eJ8dGr. Robinson isn't just a spot-up threat, either. The growth in Tatum's game this season has shown in many areas. But they aren’t going to take the floor too confident on Wednesday night, knowing that it was their complacency that got them into an 0-2 hole to start the series. The uniform, which is white with thick green stripes, features the full name in Futura Condensed stacked in front, and Red Auerbach's signature and quote "The Boston Celtics are not a basketball team. We all know that Tatum can score with the best of them - he averaged 23.4 points per game this season, the 17th-best rate in the league - but he's starting to leverage that ability to set his teammates up for easy baskets. But what happens when we have basically no idea who the best players on the draft board are? Kemba Walker, … In defeating the Toronto Raptors in seven games, the Boston Celtics have advanced for an opportunity to take on the Miami Heat. Lowest rank: 5. Bench play for the Boston Celtics in the 2020-21 season is going to play a huge factor in any success the team is to have. If this were based solely on what happened in the regular season, Dragic may have been a spot or two lower, but he's been back to his All-Star ways in the playoffs, boosting his averages to 21.1 points, 4.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game. “We need to just find the best shot for our team, and that’s going to be centered around our best players,” Stevens said earlier this week. They're a way of life." Salaries. Gordon Hayward is out, but veterans Tristan Thompson and Jeff Teague shore up a talented young roster led by budding stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. A scary sign for the rest of the NBA? With four above average defenders and all five players possessing fantastic passing skills, it’s a lineup that Stevens should feel comfortable sending out as the Celtics look to close out games. According to NBA.com, the Celtics are scoring at a rate of 111.2 points per 100 possessions with Walker on the court this postseason compared to 98.1 with him on the bench. Giannis climbs Bucks all-time scoring ladder, Team LeBron vs. It's easy to forget that there was … https://www.lineups.com/articles/top-50-greatest-boston-celtics-players The return of Hayward, and not just alongside Boston’s four other stars, gives Stevens another playmaker on the floor, someone who is more than willing to help set up his teammates rather than force his own shot. Bam Adebayo or Jaylen Brown? Here are the best free agents right now. — The Athletic Boston (@TheAthleticBOS) February 20, 2020 Karalis joins ESPN’s Jay Williams among NBA analysts who recently have counted Tatum among the top players in the Eastern Conference. Just having him back was extremely helpful.”. Entering the Conference Finals, Herro is averaging 14.7 points per game on 41.3 percent shooting from the field and 40.0 percent from 3-point range in his first postseason. He's playing legitimate minutes as well. It was the final 2:40 of the second quarter that really stood out, as Boston’s “Best 5” closed out the first half on a 12-2 run. The Boston Celtics have earned some noteworthy recognition. If there's one thing we've learned about Butler over the last couple of seasons, it's that he's more of a 16-game player than an 82-game player. It'll be the fourth time the two franchises have faced each other in the playoffs, although a lot has changed since their last meeting in 2012. Brown struggled with his shot in Boston's second-round series with the Raptors, but his defence never wavered. According to NBA.com, Herro has logged 19 clutch minutes through nine games, the fourth-most on the Heat. 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His versatility was recognized with a spot on this season's All-Defensive Second Team. The Celtics were back at full strength in Game 3, which meant Brad Stevens could finally deploy his five best players all at once. Includes full-season stats for all players who saw court time during the regular season or playoffs. Tatum averaged 5.3 assists per game against the Raptors in the second round, up from 2.5 in the first round and 3.0 in the regular season. Not only was he Miami's primary defender on Giannis Antetokounmpo, he shot 43.1 percent from 3-point range. Visit ESPN to view the Boston Celtics team stats for the 2020-21 season. Depending on who … An updated look at the Boston Celtics 2020 salary cap table, including team cap space, dead cap figures, and complete breakdowns of player cap hits, salaries, and bonuses.