Postgame

Taylor Snow

The Boston Celtics saved their best Summer League effort for last, as they closed out their stay in Las Vegas Saturday evening with a 94-77 win over the Orlando Magic.

It was by far the most impressive defensive showing of the session for Boston after allowing an average of 97.3 points per game to its previous four opponents.

As a team, the Celtics logged 10 steals and nine blocks and only allowed four free-throw attempts. They also limited Orlando to 37.3 percent shooting from the field, including just 27.5 percent from 3-point range.

Boston got off to a slow start, trailing 15-8 through the opening eight minutes. However, the C’s turned things around after that point, outscoring the Magic 35-19 during the remaining 12 minutes of the first half, including a 27-14 second quarter (Summer League has four 10-minute quarters).

Rookie forward Jordan Walsh scored all 12 of his points during the second frame while shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from the field, 2-for-2 from long range, and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. Second-year guard J.D. Davison had a strong quarter as well, logging seven points, three rebounds, and two assists while making a couple of superb passes to close out the half.

As a team, the Celtics shot 52.6 percent during the second quarter after making just 28.6 percent of their shots in the opening period.

Boston’s offense took it up yet another notch in the third quarter, outscoring the Magic 34-23 while shooting 65.0 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from 3-point range. That’s when forward Justin Bean tallied all 10 of his points, making 4-of-5 from the field including both of his 3-point attempts.

The C’s outscored Orlando 61-37 in the middle two quarters on 23-of-39 shooting from the field.

Boston had an incredibly well-balanced scoring attack with eight players scoring between eight and 13 points.

Two of its top scorers happened to be making their first respective appearances of the summer: 6-foot-9 forward Vincent Valerio-Bodon, who logged team highs of 13 points and six rebounds, and 7-foot center Reggie Kissoonlal, who stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, five rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.

Kamar Baldwin, a standout guard for the Maine Celtics last season, also had a strong showing with 10 points, four rebounds, six assists, one block, and one steal. And he showed that he’s not afraid to pull up and shoot from any distance.

With the win, Boston finished Summer League with a 2-3 record, closing out its Vegas trip on a high note.

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C's Close Summer League on High Note with 94-77 Win Over Magic

The Summer Celtics showed Friday night that they're not a team to go down without a fight.

After trailing the New York Knicks by as many as 23 points in the second quarter, Boston stormed back to cut its deficit down to two points in the fourth quarter. However, it ultimately couldn’t get over the hump falling 97-89 inside Las Vegas’ Cox Pavillion and dropping to 1-3 in Summer League action.

Nonetheless, it was an inspiring comeback attempt. Dalano Banton, Justin Champagnie, J.D. Davison, and Jay Scrubb led the charge in the second half, as those four combined for 40 points, matching New York’s team total during that span.

Davison kickstarted an 11-2 run early in the third quarter by dropping in a floater and reverse layup for Boston’s first two buckets of the half. He scored eight points during the frame on a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.

Banton, who handled a solid chunk of the scoring during the middle of the quarter, then knocked down a couple of free throws, a reverse layup, and a 3-pointer.

Champagnie closed out quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers, quadrupling his two-point total from the first half in a matter of 28 seconds. His second bucked pulled the Celtics to within nine points, as they finished the frame with a 28-18 advantage.

Champagnie opened the fourth quarter with another triple, and Scrubb and Banton followed suit in back-to-back-to-back fashion. Banton’s 3-pointer from the left wing at the eight-minute mark pulled the Celtics to within two points, capping off a 41-20 run; after trailing 57-34, they were now down just 77-75.

However, that was as close as Boston would get. New York responded to the Celtics’ 9-0 run with a 6-0 run of its own, upping its lead back to eight points. Boston’s deficit would remain in the 5-to-10-point margin for the rest of the game.

Despite the loss, the Celtics enjoyed a well-balanced scoring attack; all six of their players who topped the 20-minute mark scored in double-figures.

Banton, a late addition to the Summer squad, led the way with a team-high 18 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

Scrubb logged 16 points and six rebounds, continuing his four-game streak of scoring between 15 and 18 points.

Champagnie logged 12 of his 14 points in the second half and grabbed three rebounds.

Rookie Jordan Walsh chipped in with 13 points while knocking down all five of his free-throw attempts.

Seven-foot-one center Olek Balcerowski recorded 11 points and six rebounds, and was the only Celtics starter to finish with a positive plus/minus at plus-3.

Davison added 11 points as well, while dishing out a team-high four assists.

The Celtics will play their final game of Summer League at 6:30 p.m. Saturday night against the Orlando Magic.

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Summer C's Fall Short to Knicks Despite Strong Second-Half Push

Presented on Wednesday night with his first chance to beat LA, Celtics rookie Jordan Walsh didn’t let the opportunity slip away.

The 19-year-old forward scored 17 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, leading Boston back from a double-digit halftime deficit for a 95-90 win over the archrival Lakers.

The Celtics trailed by as many as 14 points just before the end of the first half. Walsh then led them out blazing in the first five minutes of the third quarter when he scored 12 points during a 17-5 Celtics run.

Shortly after knocking down a 3-pointer at the 5:03 mark, which gave Boston its first lead since the opening minutes, Walsh uttered a guttural roar of approval to urge his team to keep going. And so they did just that, taking a 73-70 advantage into the fourth quarter.

“It’s all been part of the game plan,” Walsh said of his team's third-quarter run during an interview with ESPN between the final two frames. “Boston, we’re known for being tough, we’re known for fighting, and that’s what we’re doing now. We gathered our team at halftime. We told them, ‘Hey, us being down 10 at halftime is nothing. Let’s fight through it; let’s get the dub.’”

Boston kept fighting all the way through the fourth quarter, going up by as many as eight points before walking away with its first win of Summer League in Las Vegas. Walsh made sure to put the nail in the coffin, sealing the victory with a thunderous dunk with 15 seconds remaining.

Even in Summer League, it feels good to put the “L” in Lakers. Especially for a 19-year-old rookie looking to make his mark in green.

Brad Stevens joined the ESPN crew for a six-minute stretch in the first quarter and touched on a variety of offseason subjects. Perhaps the most noteworthy topic was the health of Rob Williams, which Stevens spoke about with glowing optimism.

As we all know, Williams has dealt with a few rough offseasons throughout his career, including last summer when he had to undergo a knee operation, which kept him sidelined for the first 29 games of the regular season. Upon his return in mid-December, the veteran center seemed fairly steady (aside from a hamstring strain, which caused him to miss eight games in March) and rolled through the playoffs with a perfect 20-game attendance.

All of that second-half playing time doesn’t appear to have had any wear and tear on Williams’ knee, according to Boston's president of basketball operations, who said the big man is feeling the healthiest he’s felt in quite some time.

“He really had a good second half, and we’re hoping to build off of that,” said Stevens. “He hasn’t had a summer of good health in a while, but right now, he feels really good. So we’re looking forward to him building off of that.”

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Walsh Scores 25 as C's Beat LA for First Win of Summer League

Champagnie was poppin’ Sunday night in Las Vegas.

The 6-foot-6 forward was the star of Boston’s second Summer League match, producing game-highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds along with six assists and one block in a 103-98 loss to the Washington Wizards.

A late regular-season Celtics addition, Champagnie didn’t get many opportunities to see the court this past spring. So this summer, he’s aiming to take advantage of every chance he gets in his No. 99 Boston uniform, and Sunday night was a good indicator.

Champagnie scored 10 of his points during the final frame, nearly helping the C’s overcome a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit. They trailed by 10 with less than a minute remaining and his cutting dunk at the 53-second mark helped to kick-start a rapid 7-0 run, which was eventually snuffed out by a late Washington step-back jumper.

Champagnie did most of his scoring damage inside, though he also knocked down a pair of left-wing 3-pointers in the fourth.

However, his most impressive contributions came on the glass. Seven of his 12 rebounds came on the offensive end, and that’s after pulling down six offensive boards in Game 1 Saturday. Thirteen offensive rebounds in two days is pretty darn impressive for a guy who stands one inch below the average NBA height.

Champagnie was one of six Celtics players to finish in double-digits in the scoring department. Jay Scrubb had his second straight game in the teens with 15 points off the bench. Former first-round pick Udoka Azubuike had a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting in less than 18 minutes of action. C’s second-round draft pick Jordan Walsh followed up his team-leading 18-point effort from Saturday afternoon with a 12-point, Game 2 performance. Seven-foot-one center Olek Balcerowski logged 11 points, and forward Justin Bean chipped in with 10.

Jordan Walsh has raised some eyebrows – in a good way – during his first two games in a Celtics uniform. On Saturday, he had a pleasantly surprising shooting performance, knocking down his first four 3-point attempts in the Summer League opener against Miami. On Sunday, he dazzled with his playmaking.

Walsh’s 12 points and three assists that showed up in the box score didn’t tell the full story of his strong decision-making throughout the game but believe us, the 19-year-old showed some real promise in that area.

Two of Walsh’s passes, in particular, stood out: one was a pump-fake, driving behind-the-back toss to Justin Bean that resulted in a wide-open 3-pointer. The other was a shot-fake, over-the-top pass to Udoka Azubuike for an easy dunk.

Paul Pierce’s loyalty toward the Celtics is unmatched. The Hall-of-Famer is still a regular attendee at TD Garden during the season, and he even shows up for occasional Summer League games such as Sunday night.

Although the 2023 Draft class phenom Victor Wembanyma was playing simultaneously in the arena next door, Pierce insisted to NBA TV's Chris Haynes during a second-quarter interview that he’s only interested in seeing his boys in green.

“I’m only here to watch the Celtics. this is the only team and come to games for. I don’t watch nobody else.”

The Truth also reminisced about his first and only Summer League experience in 1999, which didn’t last very long.

“I played two games,” Pierce recalled. “Had a 46-point game and coach said, ‘Go home for the summer.”

Haynes closed out the interview by asking Pierce for his “unbiased” opinion on the Eastern Conference favorite for this coming season. Taking into account the recent addition of Kristaps Porzingis, Pierce answered without hesitation.

“No bias,” he said. “It has to be the Celtics.”

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Champagnie Gives C's Late Burst, Pierce Shows Support for Summer Squad

Jordan Walsh’s No. 1 goal this summer is to prove himself ready to play alongside Boston’s stars. The second-round pick got straight to work Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas, putting on a show in front of Jayson Tatum, who was sitting courtside for the Celtics’ Summer League opener against the Miami Heat.

Walsh, the youngest member of the squad at 19 years old, led all Celtics scorers with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. All of his scoring was produced within the first 26 minutes of the game, including nine points during the first quarter and a 4-for-4 start from deep.

Miami, already warmed up and playing its third game of the summer, wound up getting the best of Boston with a 99-88 win. But a few individual standout performances should leave Celtics fans feeling excited after Game 1.

What made Walsh’s performance so thrilling was the fact that this kid wasn’t even touted as a shooting threat coming out of the draft. The 6-foot-7 forward made his name on the defensive end in college while shooting just 27.8 percent from deep during his lone season at the University of Arkansas.

However, Brad Stevens insisted that Walsh’s shooting improved tremendously from his first draft workout with the team to his second, and Saturday’s performance indicated that Mr. President wasn’t lying.

Walsh hit his first three triples in a span of less than five minutes in the opening frame, knocking down his first bucket from the right corner, followed by a step-back trey from the right wing, and then a catch-and-shoot 3 from the left wing.

The 38th overall pick closed out the second quarter with a twisting mid-range jumper from the free-throw line and then threw down an alley-oop lob from J.D. Davison early in the third. He also knocked down both of his free-throw attempts and capped off his scoring midway through the third with a deep 3 from above the break.

Walsh also lived up to his billing on the defensive end, grabbing five rebounds, snagging two steals, and blocking one shot.

“My goal is to be able to play with some of the guys who are here on the sideline like Jayson Tatum,” Walsh told ESPN’s Chris Haynes during a mid-game interview. “And I know that to be able to play with a guy like that, I’ve got to be able to make open shots, I’ve got to do the dirty work, and that’s what I’m preparing myself for.”

J.D. Davison entered Saturday as the third all-time leader in Summer League assists per game after averaging 8.2 per contest in 2022. The second-year point guard moved one more spot up that list in the 2023 opener thanks to an 11-assist effort against the Heat.

Davison picked up right where he left off, feeding 7-foot-1 center Olek Balcerowski for a hook shot on the very first possession of the game. He handed out four assists in the first quarter, three in the second, and then gave out his final three in the third quarter, which included a beautiful alley-oop toss to rookie Jordan Walsh.

Davison then transitioned into scoring mode in the fourth quarter, tallying nine of his 14 points in the last five-plus minutes of action.

Keep an eye on Davison’s development this summer because his playmaking could come in handy in a backup role this coming season as the C’s try to fill the void of Marcus Smart.

Probably the most talented scorer on Boston’s Summer squad is Jay Scrubb, and he showcased why during the second quarter. The 22-year-old guard went off for 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting during the frame and finished with 17 on the afternoon, one point shy of Jordan Walsh’s team-high mark.

Nearly half of Scrubb’s points came during an individual 8-0 run over a 43-second span. It started with a steal-and-slam and-one, which was followed by a driving and-one layup, which was followed by yet another explosive driving layup.

The 6-foot-5 guard spent part of the last three seasons with the LA Clippers and Orlando Magic and also posted the sixth-most total points in the G League last season (622) along with the eighth-highest scoring average (22.2 points per game).

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Walsh Posts Team-High 18 Points in Summer League Debut

Marc D'Amico

Things got away from the Celtics in a hurry at the start of Monday’s fourth quarter. It took only 70 seconds for their 10-point deficit entering the frame to swell to 17. Miami’s top two players of the series, Caleb Martin and Jimmy Butler, accounted for the entire 7-0 run.

Martin opened it up with a wide-open 3-pointer from the top of the arc to push Miami’s lead to 13. The shot came in transition after Martin found himself unguarded thanks to a miscommunication by Boston’s defense. Derrick White, who stopped the ball in transition, seemingly thought that one of his teammates getting back on defense from the other end was going to switch onto Martin. As such, White backed off of him. When no other Boston player stepped up, Martin then stepped right into the 3-pointer and drilled it.

Boston went on to commit consecutive turnovers on its next two possessions that led to another four Miami points, all of which were scored by Butler. He first canned a pullup jumper and then dunked one home after poking away a steal from Jaylen Brown that led to Butler’s uncontested slam at the other end.

That was Miami’s knockout punch. The Celtics never responded from there, as the Heat’s lead remained at 15 or more the rest of the way before the team closed out its 103-84 victory.

Derrick White saved the day with his miraculous tip-in to force Game 7. He nearly saved the day during Game 7 as well, as he was Boston’s only offensive weapon during the second half of Monday’s series finale.

White scored 13 of his 18 points during the second half to give the C’s a fighting chance. He single-handedly sliced Miami’s 16-point lead in half by scoring eight straight points from the 10:14 mark to the 8:29 mark of the third period. He then cut Boston’s deficit down to seven with a three-point play at the 3:33 mark of the same quarter.

Unfortunately for Boston, no one else on the team could muster up any offense during that second half, which allowed Miami to regain complete control. White was the only Celtics player who scored more than seven points during the second half.

White finished the game with 18 points on 5-for-12 shooting, to go along with two rebounds, one assist and one steal.&nbsp;

- Jimmy Butler (28 points) and Caleb Martin (26 points) led the game in scoring.

- Boston's leading scorer was Jaylen Brown with 19 points, while Derrick White added in 18.

- Boston committed 15 turnovers and shot just 39 percent from the field.

- Jayson Tatum (14 points, 11 rebounds) was the only Celtics player who logged a double-double, while two Heat players, Martin (26 points, 10 rebounds) and Bam Adebayo (12 points, 10 rebounds) did so.

- Miami shot 50 percent from long range (14-for-28).

- The game featured only 35 total bench points.

"That's one of the best locker rooms I've been around."

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Keys to the Game: Heat 103, Celtics 84

The Boston Celtics were placed into several adverse situations throughout Game 6 Saturday night. But as they have done throughout the second half of the Eastern Conference Finals, they found a way to overcome the odds.

Despite a cold shooting night, despite foul trouble for one of their stars, despite missing their sixth man, and despite trailing with less than a second remaining, the Celtics still found a way to achieve the improbable with a 104-103 win in Miami courtesy of a Derrick White game-winning buzzer-beater.

And now they are on the verge of achieving what was once thought to be impossible, as they are just one win away from becoming the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit.

It was a strange night all around for the Celtics. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were unusually cold from beyond the arc, where they combined to shoot 0-for-12. In fact, most of the team couldn’t make a three, as it shot a season-low 20.0 percent from deep (7-of-35). Marcus Smart (4-of-11) and White (3-of-7) combined for all seven of those makes, by the way.

Yet, the Jays still produced strong offensive performances, combining for 57 points to account for more than half of the team’s scoring production. They both found other ways to put points on the board, as Tatum shot 8-of-14 from inside the arc and a perfect 15-for-15 from the free-throw line, while Brown made 9-of-12 from 2-point range and 8-of-10 from the charity stripe.

Another bit of adversity that Brown faced was entering foul trouble early in the second half. He picked up his fourth foul just two minutes into the third quarter, resulting in an early trip to the bench.

Normally, the Celtics could’ve called on Malcolm Brogdon to slide into Brown’s place, but the Sixth Man of the Year was out of commission due to a right forearm strain.

Fortunately, the C’s didn’t lose any ground during the four-plus minutes that Brown spent on the sideline, as their four-point lead remained intact from the time he left the court until the time he checked back in.

Brown scored a quick six points after re-entering the game, guiding Boston on a 9-0 run toward the end of the third frame. As for his foul trouble, he went the final 17-plus minutes without getting whistled again.

The Celtics didn’t make things easy on themselves down the stretch, just as they didn’t make things easy on themselves in the first three games of the series. They were ahead by 10 points with less than four minutes remaining but then allowed Miami to claw its way back on a 15-4 run.

The last three points of that run were scored after Jimmy Butler was fouled on a 3-point shot with 3.0 seconds remaining. With his team down two, Butler calmly stepped to the line and sunk all three free throws to give Miami a 103-102 lead.

The Celtics took a timeout and put the ball in their soon-to-be-hero's hands at midcourt. White delivered the inbound pass to Smart, then darted over to the corner in case of a return pass. When he saw Smart rise up for the game-winning 3-point attempt, White changed direction and crashed the glass. He arrived near the restricted area just as Smart’s game-winning attempt rimmed out, then miraculously grabbed the ball mid-air and laid it in off the glass as time expired.

As stunning of a finish as it was, this Celtics team continues to prove that it can overcome any type of adversity. And it has a 5-0 record in elimination games this postseason to show for it.

“They're just resilient,” said head coach Joe Mazzulla. “I've said it throughout the year, that's one of the best locker rooms I've ever been a part of. It starts with them. They have a togetherness. They have a connectivity. At their hardest times, they stick by each other, and they've done that for a long time.”

This team has always thrived in adverse situations, and Jaylen Brown says that speaks a lot about the team’s collective character.

“Don't measure a man when everything is going well,” he said. “Measure a team or a group or an individual when adversity hits.”

The Celtics overcame one adverse situation after another to grab Game 6 in Miami.

Now, there’s just one obstacle left between them and a trip to the NBA Finals: Game 7 Monday night at TD Garden.

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Celtics Overcome One Obstacle After Another to Force Game 7

The old sports adage says that defense wins championships. If there’s truth in that statement, the Boston Celtics might just be headed toward an 18th&nbsp;banner, because they’re playing their best defense at the most opportune time of the season.

Saturday night’s Game 6 in Miami marked the third consecutive game of the Eastern Conference Finals during which Boston limited the opposing Heat to 103 or fewer points. The Celtics have smothered the Heat with a deadly combination of effort, physicality and teamwork, which has limited Miami to just 99.7 points per game on 43.0 percent shooting from the field over those three contests.

There is no wondering why Boston is now in prime position to pull off the improbable. The answer for the team’s turnaround is simple.

“Defense, defense, defense,” Jaylen Brown said after Game 6. “Our defense kept us in games, and defense is why there's going to be a Game 7.”

The fact that there will be a Game 7 means that Boston’s defense has featured a shocking turnaround in the middle of this series. Through the first three games of the Conference Finals, the Celtics had surrendered an average of 120.7 PPG on 51.9 percent shooting. Miami was getting everything it wanted, and with ease.

Now, the Heat’s offense is at the other end of the spectrum. Miami is putting in legitimate work for nearly every shot it takes, and rarely does the team find easy looks. Such was the case throughout Game 6 as the Heat shot just 31.1 percent from the field through the first three quarters. That level of defense kept the game in Boston’s favor while the Celtics navigated their worst 3-point shooting night of the entire season.

“Yeah,” Jayson Tatum said bluntly, “it was defense that kept us in the game, that allowed us to stay in the game.”

And, from a macro level, it has allowed them to stay in the series.

Even Miami has taken notice of the defensive turnaround for Boston and is now publicly acknowledging it. Well, kind of.

Following Game 6, Bam Adebayo was asked what the Celtics are doing differently at the defensive end of the floor after they limited him to 4-for-16 shooting in the game. His initial response was, “I feel like they’ve been more active.”

Just seconds later, Adebayo drifted away from crediting Boston’s defense, but the toothpaste had already been let out of the tube with his initial, honest answer. He knows full well that the C’s have dialed it up at that end, and that it’s affecting every Heat player who takes the floor.

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was much more open when it came to crediting Boston’s defense.&nbsp;&nbsp;He acknowledged following Game 6, “They jammed us up. It looked like at one point, (like) we were in the 80s.”

That right there says a lot about these Celtics. That right there is the greatest compliment Spoelstra could give them.

What was defense all about in the 80s? It was about physicality, effort… and a lot more physicality. Boston has upped the ante in those categories, and in significant fashion.

You know Boston is playing at an extremely high level at that end if it’s conjuring up thoughts of the days when Kevin McHale was clotheslining Kurt Rambis. You know, the days that just so happened to coincide with a trio of Celtics titles.