Getty Robert Williams, Boston Celtics
Despite Robert Williams returning to the rotation, the Boston Celtics were unable to earn a victory over a surging Orlando Magic team on December 16, falling to a 117-109 loss.
Williams, who was playing his first game of the season after recovering from a second surgery on his left knee, aired his frustrations on the Celtics’ inability to welcome him back with a win following the game.
“I felt great. The nerves were getting me pretty bad before the game. We (bleeping) lost. We gotta bounce back from that,” Williams told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
Given the nature of Williams’ knee injury and the length of time he’s missed as he rehabbed following surgery, the All-Defensive center only played 17 minutes of game time upon his return to the rotation – a minutes restriction that will likely remain in place for the coming weeks or months. However, Williams was still able to give Boston’s big man rotation a boost and ended the game with nine points, five rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block on four-of-four shooting from the field.
Robert Williams Credits His First Dunk as a Calming Factor
After making his season debut for the Celtics, Williams spoke with the media in a post-game press conference, crediting his first dunk as the moment he managed to calm his nerves and focus on the game.
“I think I just needed to catch a lob and dunk.”
Rob Williams talks tempering his nerves/excitement in his return tonight, and how his teammates kept his confidence up while he was coming back from injury #BleedGreen
“I think it was the first dunk. I think I just needed to catch a lob and dunk, to be honest. It’s just like a sense of comfort, you know? So I think after the first dunk, I could just breathe. But, everything followed after that in sense of the effort, obviously not enough, but, yeah, I say it was the dunk,” Williams said.
Williams will now be hoping to remain injury free and begin working himself into NBA game shape so that he can return to the starting lineup and help the Celtics continue charging toward the playoffs and what the team hopes will be an NBA Finals run.
Joe Mazzulla Wants the Celtics to Focus on Defense
Throughout the opening months of the current season, the Celtics have unquestionably been the best offensive team in the NBA and currently sit atop the league’s offensive rating as a result.
However, after Boston struggled to see their perimeter shots fall against the Magic, Mazzulla, who was speaking to the media in his post-game press conference, conceded that his team need to find other ways to take control of games – starting with defense.
“If you’re open, you gotta shoot it. And we’re open. So, I’m not going to tell someone that’s open not to shoot it…When we don’t shoot well, we need to find other areas to affect the game, and that starts with our defense…Even when they’re not going in, you gotta fight. Keep moving the ball and shoot it. And as far as defensively, we can get stops, get out, and get easy ones. That’s just one part of it, and I think it has more to do with our defensive stretches… Just gotta get better in that area,” Mazzulla said.
Boston has been improving on the defensive end of the court in recent weeks and currently ranks 9th in the league for defensive rating. However, there will be widespread hope that Williams’ return to the rotation will help the Celtics rediscover the defensive form that carried them to game six of the NBA Finals last season.