There’s an old saying, “It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, it’s about the size of the fight in the dog.”
That might have been the case for Miami Heat in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but the Celtics have found an advantage in Games 4 and 5 when Ime Udoka sic’d big dogs Al Horford and Robert Williams III on Miami’s tough but undersized lineup.
Boston traded leads with Miami in the first half – a departure from the blowout quarters that have trademarked this series. But four minutes into the third quarter, with a one-point lead, Udoka subbed Williams in for Grant Williams. With Time Lord and Horford on the floor together, he re-installed the 6-foot-9 fence that helped build the Celtics’ leads to start both Games 4 and 5.
Boston only extended its lead by three points during the stretch, but the Celtics built momentum and physicality with both big men on the floor while throwing cold water on the Heat’s offense.
The C’s started battling on the glass after inexplicably deferring on the boards during the first half. With both big men out on the floor at once, the team remembered how to box out. When Miami brought the ball up the court, Williams and Horford loomed over the paint like two massive vultures, forcing Kyle Lowry to chuck lousy long-rangers. Then Williams swatted down a 3-point jumper from PJ Tucker like he felt disrespected that Tucker would attempt such a shot.
Boston closed out the third quarter on 10-0 run.
The urgency and physicality harkened back to the start of Game 4, when Boston burst out to an 18-1 lead and neutralized Bam Adebayo with both Williams III and Horford in the starting lineup. The duo clogs the paint and challenges corner 3-pointers in a manner only matched across the NBA by the big men they took down in Milwaukee.
After the 93-80 victory, Jaylen Brown called Al Horford the “release valve” in high pressure situations for the team. Brown was the only player on either team who found his stroke, late in the third quarter, giving Boston some desperately-needed points.
Fittingly, Horford called Williams’ 27 minutes “huge.” Together, Horford and Williams III combined for five blocks, 17 rebounds, and two steals.
But playing them together has become a bit of a luxury at this point in the playoffs. Williams’ game availability continues to be day-to-day, according to Udoka, as he recovers from surgery on a torn meniscus in his left knee. He’s reportedly dealing with swelling and pain in the joint. And although 35-year-old Horford has only missed a game during the postseason due to COVID-19 protocols, the Celtics have leaned up him for nearly 40 minutes throughout the last two highly physical series. Their third true big man, Daniel Theis, hasn’t been able to make nearly the same impact during his minutes against the Heat.
Smooth shooting wings may be the prized commodity in today’s NBA, but as long as the Celtics are able to keep Williams and Horford in the rotation and occasionally on the floor together, the lesson of this series will be sometimes it’s still a matter of go big, or go home.