While the Wizards celebrated their game plan after limiting Boston Celtics All-Star Isaiah Thomas to two second-half points in Washington's Game 4 triumph Sunday, Thomas vented about a lack of calls in a game in which he attempted no free throws.
The Boston Celtics vs Washington Wizards Game 4 (live stream online & score below) of the Eastern Conference semifinals resumes tonight with the Celtics leading their series 2-2 in the 2017 National Basketball Association playoffs.
The victor of this best-of-seven series will face the two-time defending Eastern Conference Champion Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals. But Boston's wake up call arrived much sooner than it had in the past three games, and by the 5:30 mark of the first quarter, the Celtics led 12-10. The Wizards have the intensity that Boston seems to be lacking, especially at home. For one game, at least, the Washington Wizards were able to match and even exceed the Celtics' aggressiveness. "The refs were allowing them to hold and grab and do all those things", said Thomas. Washington has looked like the better team in the series, in my opinion. Yes, with the backcourt duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal the Wizards like to get out in transition, but they've also showed a willingness - maybe even an eagerness - to physically mix it up.
All told, Boston's other four starters combined to score only 10 more points, 29, than Thomas did all by himself.
With the spotlight focused mostly on the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers sweeping opponents left and right in the playoffs, the Celtics-Wizards series has literally been clawing tooth-and-nail for their own press time. That allowed both Wall and Beal to earn and-1 calls on layups and each of them hit their free throws. Should there end up being a plenty of extra minutes to go around, or if one of those two professional basketball get in foul trouble, the Wizards head coach Scott Brooks could turn to rookies Tomas Satoransky and Sheldon Mac.
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"I feel like we feel like we're in control (of the series)", Wizards point guard John Wall said after the win. On Wednesday, if they're the better team again, they'll return home with a chance to seal the deal. Whoever improves the most throughout that series is crowned the victor in the end until they reach their 16th victory. And for the most part, the Wizards have been dominant in this series. Game 6 will be Friday night back in Washington.
Wall recognizes an obvious mismatch at the top of the key with Celtics diminutive star point guard Isaiah Thomas guarding him.
During the first three games of this series, the Wizards started quickly and held sizable leads. Washington scored 34 points off of the Celtics 20 turnovers on 14-for-19 shooting. Otto Porter Jr.is the third double-digit scorer and Markieff Morris is grabbing 5.2 rebounds. During the Washington run, five Celtics possessions ended with turnovers committed in the flow of play - meaning no whistle for a shot-clock violation or offensive foul - which sent the Wizards busting toward the opposing hoop as if they were leaving the gates at Churchill Downs.
"No matter what, I've gotta play the same way", Thomas said.
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