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C's overcoming 3-point woes is great sign for title chances originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics often lived and died by the 3-point shot throughout the regular season. The Orlando Magic forced the reigning NBA champions to play a different style out of the gate in the playoffs, and they passed their first test with flying colors.

Boston clinched the first-round series 4-1 despite struggling against Orlando’s stingy 3-point defense. After making only nine 3s in Games 3 and 4, the C’s prevailed with a 120-89 Game 5 victory after shooting 0-for-6 from distance in the first half.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla preached throughout the series about the importance of winning on the margins: rebounding, taking care of the basketball, and defending without fouling. Those proved key to Boston’s wins and were evident in the second half of Tuesday’s blowout.

“Yeah, we didn’t turn it over in the third quarter,” Mazzulla said. “It’s that simple. Occam’s Razor.”

Occam’s Razor is a problem-solving principle that suggests the simplest explanation is usually the best. In this case, that’s true.

The Celtics actually didn’t turn the ball over at all in the entire second half after tallying nine turnovers in the first. They outrebounded the Magic 20-17 and had seven fouls to Orlando’s 10 — including star Paolo Banchero’s game-changing fifth foul — over the final 24 minutes.

Boston ended up with more made more 3s (13) than Orlando (eight) but were -14 in 3-point attempts (24 to 38). That is by far the C’s worst margin of the season, with their previous worst of -8 coming against the Brooklyn Nets on March 15.

“Orlando did a good job of trying to make us play a different style of ball, and I think we adjusted to that well,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown said. “They wanted to take away our 3-point shooting. … I think it was a great challenge for us, and I think it’s a great step for us moving forward.”

Brown capped off his solid series with 23 points (9-18 FG) and six rebounds. His co-star Jayson Tatum erupted for a game-high 35 points (10-16 FG, 4-5 3-PT) with 10 assists and eight rebounds, making NBA playoff history in the process.

The tandem will look to carry that momentum into the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they will meet either the Detroit Pistons or New York Knicks. Regardless of who they face, Mazzulla is sticking with the same keys to victory.

“The margins,” he said. “We’ve got to be able to rebound. We’ve got to be able to defend without fouling. We’ve got to take care of the basketball.”

The Celtics may not be able to get away with poor 3-point shooting against the Knicks or the top-seed Cleveland Cavaliers, both of whom ranked top five in offensive rating. Still, it’s encouraging that they won’t have to rely solely on 3s falling to have a shot at their second straight NBA title.

The Knicks have a 3-2 series lead heading into Thursday’s Game 6 in Detroit. The Celtics will rest up with the second-round series likely to start early next week.

Giannis Antetokounmpo explains heated incident with Tyrese Haliburton's dad originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Indiana Pacers knocked out the Milwaukee Bucks from the NBA playoffs Tuesday with a gentlemen’s sweep, and emotions ran high not long after.

Milwaukee held a 118-111 overtime lead and looked to extend the series in the first game after Damian Lillard’s Achilles tear.

But Doc Rivers’ side stunningly blew the cushion and lost 119-118, ending the Bucks’ season and potentially Giannis Antetokounmpo’s final game with the franchise that drafted him.

After the game, Antetokounmpo got into heated conversations with some Indiana players — and the father of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.

The two were forehead to forehead for a few seconds exchanging words before being separated.

Shortly after the clip went viral on social media, new angles emerged on Haliburton’s dad appearing to provoke Antetokounmpo before they exchanged words.

Haliburton addressed the incident involving his father in his post-game conference, saying his dad was in the wrong and that he’ll reach out to Antetokounmpo to ensure there’s no bad blood.

Antetokounmpo detailed what happened when Haliburton’s dad provoked him, but Antetokounmpo didn’t know who the fan was until later and showed respect to Haliburton.

“Losing the game. The emotions run high,” Antetokounmpo explained. “Having a fan, which at the moment I thought he was a fan, but then I realize it was Tyrese’s son, which I love Tyrese. I think he’s a great competitor. It was his dad, sorry. Coming in the floor and showing me his son, a towel with his face, this is what we do. This is what we F-ing do. This what the F we do. This… I feel like that’s very, very disrespectful.”

Antetokounmpo also mentioned being “humble in victory,” as he has won a championship in his career while the Pacers have not.

Haliburton’s father, John, later posted to social media apologizing to Giannis, the Bucks and the Pacers.

Haliburton scored the game-winning layup in the closing seconds to avoid a Game 6, with a series against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers up next.

Meanwhile for Milwaukee, the future could get dark if Antetokounmpo chooses to leave via a trade. The Bucks don’t have a competitive roster and Antetokounmpo turns 31 in December.

With Lillard’s Achilles tear and Kyle Kuzma not providing help after Khris Middleton faded away, Antetokounmpo’s best shot at winning may lie elsewhere. Milwaukee’s pool of young talent and draft picks are both stark, too.

Giannis Antetokounmpo explains heated incident with Tyrese Haliburton's dad originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Indiana Pacers knocked out the Milwaukee Bucks from the NBA playoffs Tuesday with a gentlemen’s sweep, and emotions ran high not long after.

Milwaukee held a 118-111 overtime lead and looked to extend the series in the first game after Damian Lillard’s Achilles tear.

But Doc Rivers’ side stunningly blew the cushion and lost 119-118, ending the Bucks’ season and potentially Giannis Antetokounmpo’s final game with the franchise that drafted him.

After the game, Antetokounmpo got into heated conversations with some Indiana players — and the father of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.

The two were forehead to forehead for a few seconds exchanging words before being separated.

Shortly after the clip went viral on social media, new angles emerged on Haliburton’s dad appearing to provoke Antetokounmpo before they exchanged words.

Haliburton addressed the incident involving his father in his post-game conference, saying his dad was in the wrong and that he’ll reach out to Antetokounmpo to ensure there’s no bad blood.

Antetokounmpo detailed what happened when Haliburton’s dad provoked him, but Antetokounmpo didn’t know who the fan was until later and showed respect to Haliburton.

“Losing the game. The emotions run high,” Antetokounmpo explained. “Having a fan, which at the moment I thought he was a fan, but then I realize it was Tyrese’s son, which I love Tyrese. I think he’s a great competitor. It was his dad, sorry. Coming in the floor and showing me his son, a towel with his face, this is what we do. This is what we F-ing do. This what the F we do. This… I feel like that’s very, very disrespectful.”

Antetokounmpo also mentioned being “humble in victory,” as he has won a championship in his career while the Pacers have not.

Haliburton’s father, John, later posted to social media apologizing to Giannis, the Bucks and the Pacers.

Haliburton scored the game-winning layup in the closing seconds to avoid a Game 6, with a series against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers up next.

Meanwhile for Milwaukee, the future could get dark if Antetokounmpo chooses to leave via a trade. The Bucks don’t have a competitive roster and Antetokounmpo turns 31 in December.

With Lillard’s Achilles tear and Kyle Kuzma not providing help after Khris Middleton faded away, Antetokounmpo’s best shot at winning may lie elsewhere. Milwaukee’s pool of young talent and draft picks are both stark, too.

Tatum makes more NBA playoff history with dominant Game 5 vs. Magic originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

There’s consistent excellence, and then there are Jayson Tatum’s last three playoff games with the Boston Celtics.

Tatum delivered a brilliant all-around performance Tuesday night in Game 5 of Boston’s first-round playoff series with the Orlando Magic, racking up a game-high 35 points on 10 for 16 shooting (4 for 5 from 3-point range) to go along with eight rebounds and 10 assists. Tatum also went a perfect 11 for 11 from the free-throw line to help the Celtics rout the Magic 120-89 and win the series 4-1.

That effort earned Tatum a place in the record books, as he’s the first player in NBA history to make 10-plus free throws without a miss in three consecutive playoff games. Here’s a look at Tatum’s stats in his last three games:

• Game 3: 36 points, 12 for 12 FT
• Game 4: 37 points, 14 for 14 FT
• Game 5: 35 points, 11 for 11 FT

That’s right: Tatum went 37 for 37 at the free throw line over a three-game span and missed just four free throws in the entire five-game series (37 for 41).

The Magic, who allowed the fewest 3-pointers per game to opponents this season, made a concerted effort to limit the Celtics’ 3-point attack. But Tatum countered by aggressively getting to the basket and drawing fouls, then making them count at the charity stripe.

“He did a great job of staying patient and going through his progressions,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said of Tatum after the game. “At the end of the day, every game is different. Every team is different. You have to be ready to answer the call. And I thought he did that.”

Tatum’s history-making wasn’t limited to his free throws, either: According to Celtics stats guru Dick Lipe, the All-Star forward is the first player ever to have at least 35 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds, four 3-pointers and a shooting line of at least 60 percent from the floor, 80 percent from 3 and 100 percent from the line in one game — regular season or playoffs.

As for Tatum’s three straight playoff games with 35-plus points? He’s only the second Celtics player to accomplish that feat, joining Hall of Famer Larry Bird (1987 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Detroit Pistons).

Tatum’s dominance in Games 3, 4 and 5 is all the more impressive considering he missed Game 2 with a right wrist injury after suffering a bone bruise in Game 1. The ailment clearly didn’t impact him the rest of the series, however, as he was the catalyst for Boston overcoming a physical Orlando team and advancing to the second round.

The Celtics await the winner of the New York Knicks-Detroit Pistons series, which the Knicks lead 3-2. Game 6 of that series is set for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET.