Getty Quin Snyder's Hawks Lost to The Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics have secured their first win of the postseason, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 112-99.
During the halftime break, former Celtics champion Kendrick Perkins tweeted some advice for Quin Snyder, advising him not to show clips of Atlanta’s loss during the team’s upcoming film session.
If I’m Quin Synder I’m not even showing film of this game tomorrow… because what adjustments are you actually going to make. I’ll just simply show a 1 hour video of a Heart pumping blood!!!! Carry on…
“If I’m Quin Synder I’m not even showing film of this game tomorrow… because what adjustments are you actually going to make. I’ll just simply show a 1 hour video of a Heart pumping blood!!!! Carry on…,” Perkins Tweeted.
For the first two quarters, the Celtics dominated Atlanta; however, for the second half of the game, Boston took their foot off the gas and allowed the Hawks to halve the Celtics’ lead. Fortunately for the Celtics, they were able to shut up shop defensively and secure a momentum-building victory in the first game of their series.
Grant Williams Doesn’t Play Against the Hawks
In what was one of the more interesting rotation decisions, head coach Joe Mazzulla opted not to call upon the services of Grant Williams; instead, he ran with Sam Hauser as he looked to take advantage of the perimeter spacing the Hawks were allowing.
Hauser accumulated 11 minutes of playing time but went scoreless with 0-of-2 shooting while also grabbing a singular rebound. Given the Celtics’ spacing advantage with Hauser on the floor, the logic behind Mazzulla’s decision is clear.
Mazzulla has completed his rotation cycle for the half without any Grant Williams minutes. Looks like he’ll stay small for this series barring any rebounding issues.
Nevertheless, there were stretches during the second quarter where Boston’s defense looked porous on the wings, and one can only assume that Williams’ presence in the frontcourt could have helped provide some additional rearguard support.
Williams has participated in 79 regular-season games for the Celtics, ending the year with a statline of 8.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 45.4% from the field and 39.5% from three-point range.
Grant Williams Focused on Winning a Championship
Once the current season reaches its conclusion, Grant Williams will become a restricted free agent after failing to agree to terms on a contract extension last summer. However, during a recent interview with HoopsHype’s Sam Yip, Williams revealed that his focus is solely on helping the Celtics win a championship and that his future can be dealt with after the season.
Grant Williams, corner office
“Nah, you got to focus on today, brother,” Williams said. “You can’t focus on tomorrow, can only focus on what’s in front of you. For me, it’s always been about playing to the best ability that I can and winning as many titles as I can while I’m here. So after that, whatever happens, this free agency cycle, that’ll be determined this summer after, hopefully, we got the ring in my hand. So that’s the main priority. No. 1 is focused on getting this ring first.”