There is no best night for Kemba Walker to contribute much less than his typical offensive production, but especially on Wednesday in a double defeat.
The Boston Celtics goalkeeper finished with just five points in the game – he threw a disappointing 2v11 from the area and 1v6 from the arc while playing a maximum of 52 minutes.
But head coach Brad Stevens needs everyone to see the big picture, noting how the Toronto Raptors defended Walker in Boston’s double overtime loss in overtime 125-122 in Game 6 on Wednesday.
“In the first half, it’s really not fair to Kemba because they are in a box and one opposite him, betting on the sane thing about him. And we get wonderful shots against him in the first quarter,” Stevens told the journalists after the game. loss, as shown through NBC Sports Boston’s post-game coverage. “So, at that point, your task is to be a spacer, a cutter, or a filter, and watch everyone score. And then when they come out, he has more wonderful opportunities himself.
“So it’s not about Kemba or the 3 first-half attempts or anything like that,” Stevens continued. “This is how they kept it. They took it away. It’s a wonderful mark of respect. “
Walker did not feel the same way as he blamed himself more on his shoulders, especially for his departure in the second half.
“He had me in the box and one, he denied the entire first half. In the middle of the moment, I just couldn’t find a beat. She had some wonderful looks, it just wasn’t enough, “said Walker. “It just wasn’t enough for my teammates tonight. Just a bad offensive night, horrible offensive night.
“. . . I have to find one more way to my teammates. I have to be bigger for my teammates, ” he added.
Here are some additional notes from Wednesday’s game:
– Again with the third trimester.
The Celtics took a 12-point lead in Wednesday’s last quarter. Unfortunately, Toronto reduced that hole to four problems at half-time, but it was another poor third quarter as the Celtics were outperformed by eight problems, which in the end gave the Raptors some momentum.
Toronto beat Boston 22-12 midway through the quarter, adding a 12-2 run over a two-minute span. It is a work in progress and a smart one.
“They play harder than us in the first six minutes of this quarter,” Stevens said.
Walker added: “I wish I could tell you (why), I wish I could. We have been aware of it, but it still happens. It might not take much, we just want to be better. “
– Jaylen Brown had an undeniable response to what led the Celtics to be defeated.
“Just keep your balance. I felt like we hadn’t played as well as we needed to all the time, all the way straight. There were big turnovers that killed us,” Brown said. “And a lot of that is the duty on me, on the boys with the ball in hand, we just have to go down directly to make bigger plays and their team, they did it, they made great plays in the last one directly and that’s why they came up here So it’s definitely a learning or training time for us, and we’ll be better in the next game.
– While the Celtics ultimately fell in Game 6, they had some impressive individual performances.
Marcus Smart posted a triple-double with 23 problems, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 50 minutes. Tatum finished just ahead of a triple-double with 29 numbers, 14 rebounds and assists in 51 minutes. Brown himself had a double-double with 31 problems and 16 rebounds in 51 minutes.
The Celtics and Raptors will speak for Game 7 on Friday night with an announcement scheduled for 9 p. m.
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