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The Boston Celtics were on the ropes heading into Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Miami Heat, so the 128-102 loss they suffered on Sunday night has pretty much left the team for dead. Even though the Celtics are pretty much considered toast, they still are alive heading into Game 4. So with the C's looking to avoid a sweep, it's time to roll out our Celtics predictions for Game 4.
The Celtics were widely favored to come out on top in this series against the Heat after posting two dominant outings in Games 6 & 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals to save their season. Yet, they have gotten steamrolled by the Heat through three games, and they showed no signs of fighting their way back into this series in Game 3.
However, anything can happen in sports, and the Celtics have shown the ability to be one of the top teams when they are playing their best basketball. Finding a way to bounce back doesn't seem entirely likely, but Boston has been full of surprises before, so who knows what could happen. With that in mind, let's jump into the predictions and see what could happen in this game.
3. Jaylen Brown's shooting woes for the Celtics will continue
Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, Jaylen Brown was Boston's most consistent source of offense. Prior to Game 1 against the Heat, Brown had been on fire from the field (24.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 54.1 FG%, 47.1 3P%) and was one of the main sources of optimism for this team. But against the Heat, Brown's numbers have taken a massive step back (16.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, 37.7 FG%, 10 3P%).
There are a lot of reasons for the Celtics finding themselves in a 3-0 hole against the Heat, but Brown's sudden regression from offensive powerhouse to a guy who is missing every single shot he normally hits is probably the biggest reason for Boston's current predicament. Brown looked like he wanted to snap his cold streak early in Game 3, but spent most of the game firing threes aimlessly and failing to move the ball.
Brown looks totally disinterested in winning right now, and there's really no reason to believe that he's going to change course in Game 4. There are so many favorable matchups on the floor for Brown, but he just doesn't care. Expect another outing where Brown looks like he can't be bothered to win, and it will likely be thanks to another horrid night of shooting.
2. Grant Williams will finish the game as the Celtics leading scorer
Grant Williams is becoming a bit of a punching bag thanks to his poor decision to trash talk Jimmy Butler in Game 2, which has been followed up with Butler constantly picking on him on offense, but for a team without any sort of fight, Williams has been one of the only guys with any pride for Boston in this series. That should continue in a Game 4 where nobody is expecting the Celtics to show up.
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Williams has played sparingly throughout the playoffs, which has been another awful decision from Joe Mazzulla, because Williams has looked good in Games 2 & 3 for the Celtics. It's a small sample admittedly, but Williams' numbers (10.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2 APG, 69.2 FG%, 60 3P%) show that he's one of the few guys who hasn't checked out of this series just yet.
Call me crazy, but Williams should probably start Game 4 over Al Horford. He won't, but either way, Williams should get a lot of run time in this game. With Jayson Tatum continuing to get double-teamed constantly by Miami, Williams could find himself with quite a few open three-point opportunities on his hand, and he will end up converting a handful of them to lead Boston in scoring in this one.
1. The Celtics will win Game 4 117-108 to force a Game 5
Is it even a bold prediction to say the Celtics will lose this game? There's literally been nothing we have seen from them through three games that suggests they will win this game. Yet it says here that the Celtics, who are pretty good at playing with their backs against the wall, will find a way to come out on top and force this series to head back to Boston.
At some point, the shooting discrepancy between the Celtics and Heat has to even out, as Miami is hitting pretty much every jumper they are taking, while Boston is missing every one of theirs. It's been a collective effort for the Heat, but with the Celtics looking to put more pressure on them at the perimeter on defense, Miami won't be as explosive offensively throughout this game.
On the other end of the floor, the Celtics will finally break their team wide shooting slump to hit over 40 percent of their threes for the first time in this series. Williams will lead the way, with Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, and Sam Hauser providing contributions off the bench. Boston finally plays desperate, and they will pick up their first win of the series to extend their season for at least one more game.
