It is my firm belief that the Boston Celtics men’s professional basketball club should take advantage of their 3-2 series lead (best of seven, mind you, so four games would be the winner) and defeat the disdainful Milwaukee Bucks men’s professional basketball club at home in the TD Garden on Thursday, April 26. This would be much easier on me, my stress levels and the morale of the general population. I sincerely hope that the club will take my wishes into consideration, and I will have no further comment.
Just kidding. I always have further comment. If you thought for even one measly second that the Celtics would lose Game 5 at home with Marcus Smart coming back, stop reading this because I don’t want you to have any connection with me, at all. Of course they’d win this, it was always about whether or not it was going six or seven. I’d prefer six, just go get it out of the way early. I think having Smart come back makes six a lot more possible. His impact on the floor is twice that of anyone else on the team right now other than Al Horford. Smart checks in halfway through the first quarter and immediately dives on the floor for a loose ball. It had been like a month since he’d gotten to dive on the hardwood floor; it’s his favorite thing. He is literally always on the ground, and he loves it. So do I. Every team needs someone like that and we have the best in the business. Good for us, sucks for them.
Smart’s defense on Khris Middleton is also a game-changer. He’d been shooting a cool 63 percent from three coming into Game 5. He was held to 50 percent today from three, but Smart was giving him fits in the mid-range and he went 9-21 from the field. He’s still one of the most efficient players in the NBA, but having Smart to bump into him coming off every screen helps a ton.
I would also like to send a heartfelt thank you to Jaylen Brown, who is averaging 21.8 points per game in this series with a wonderfully consistent 44 percent from three-point range. You are the best, Jaylen Brown. Really though, his consistency has been the most important factor in this series so far. When Jaylen Brown is on, the Celtics are on. When they got blown out in Game 3, Brown scored 11 points. When they blew out the Bucks, Brown had 30 points. See? It’s a scientific fact. Like God, or the weather.
I’m shaking in my boots waiting for Game 6. I need a victory like I need air. Giannis Antetokounmpo needs to get his heart ripped out in his own city and then have to go wait in line to get dinner (again). Such a square. Let’s go, C’s.
