BOSTON – Lobs were slammed and shots were blocked. It was that time again for Timelord to punch the clock.
Robert Williams made his highly-anticipated return for the Boston Celtics Friday night and was by far the biggest bright spot in what was otherwise a disappointing outcome against the Orlando Magic.
In his first appearance since Game 6 of the NBA Finals and since undergoing a surgical procedure on his left knee in late September, Williams did a little bit of everything. He logged nine points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting effort, along with five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block, while playing three short stints that added up to 17 and a half minutes of playing time.
For the rest of the team, it just wasn’t their night, as the C’s fell 117-109 to an Orlando team that’s now riding a five-game winning streak. But just having Williams back was enough to liven up TD Garden.
The energy started to rise inside the arena before Williams even entered the game.
A little more than four minutes after tip-off, interim head coach Joe Mazzulla motioned for Williams to sub in. As soon as the veteran center stood up off the bench, the fans behind him began to stand as well. He checked in at the 7:20 mark to a full-arena standing ovation and he couldn’t hide his smile as his positioned himself under the basket.
Williams said he felt somewhat anxious heading into the night, and it showed at first, as the first stat he logged was an offensive foul 63 seconds in. But at the 5:19 mark, everything became right in Celtics Nation again when he threw down a thunderous lob off a toss from Marcus Smart.
“I think I just needed to catch a lob and dunk, to be honest,” Williams said of taming his nerves. “It was just like a sense of calm. I think after the first dunk it was kind of like, yeah, I can just breathe.”
That first dunk also set the tone for what would be a rim-rattling night for Williams. He threw down three more during the third quarter all in a three-minute span, finishing a putback slam, a second lob via a Jayson Tatum pass, and a jam off a Jaylen Brown handoff.
“I think that was really the only thing that got the fans going tonight,” Malcolm Brogdon said of Williams’ energetic presence. “I thought he played great in his first game back and he's gonna be huge for us.”
Williams also came up huge on the defensive end on several occasions. He had the block and steal, as mentioned, but also just his rim-protecting presence was impactful in itself.
“I thought he picked up where I left off as far as his weak side defense,” said Mazzulla. “I thought he did a good job with his presence at the rim, and he just looked comfortable out there, so I was happy for him.”
Williams didn’t just look comfortable out there; he felt comfortable. Brogdon had said earlier in the day that the biggest hurdle after returning from a long injury absence is getting over the mental aspect, rather than the physical aspect, of the injury. However, Williams didn’t show any hesitation in launching himself skyward or diving on the floor for loose balls.
“You’ve just gotta forget about everything as the game’s going on,” Williams said of his mental approach. “There’s so much stuff happening you really don’t have time to focus on [the knee].”
The only thing that Williams is focused on now is avenging Friday night’s loss. As thrilled as he was to be back, he lacked enthusiasm from the result.
Williams and the C’s will have a rare opportunity for immediate revenge, as they’ll host the red-hot Magic for another game Sunday afternoon. It will also be an opportunity for him to continue to work his way back into the flow of things to further bolster the No. 1 team in the league.