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Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat came down to a dunk attempt by Jayson Tatum that was blocked by Bam Adebayo at the rim. But it may have never come down to that if Kemba Walker didn't struggle again with his shot.
Walker held himself accountable for his performance, admitting that he has been “terrible” of late while adding that he needs to be better as the series goes along.
“I’m just playing terrible, to be honest. I just have to be better. I have to make better decisions. I just have to make shots overall,” Kemba Walker said.
Walker finished with 19 points, three rebounds, and six assists in 43 minutes for the Celtics. However, he shot just 6-of-19 from the field and 1-for-9 from beyond the arc and had three turnovers. Despite his struggles, the four-time All Star did give Boston its last lead in overtime thanks to a step-back jumper to put the Celtics up one with 23.6 seconds left in the extra session.
After that, however, Jimmy Butler scored on an and-1 play, giving the fifth-seeded Heat a 116-114 lead. The Celtics went to Tatum on the ensuing play to try to tie things up, but Adebayo and the Heat had other plans once they met at the rim.
Walker has struggled for a few games now, and he clearly knows it. He shot 2-of-11 in Game 6 against the Toronto Raptors and 5-of-16 in Game 7. The All-Star has made only one 3-pointer in each of the last five games, going 5-of-34 over that span.
This is Kemba Walker's first-ever appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals after eight seasons in Charlotte. He knows he has to be much better in order to make it to the NBA Finals.
