BOSTON — For the first six minutes on Tuesday night, the Celtics were playing at their worst.
They were lazy on offense. Jaylen Brown committed three turnovers in the opening minutes. Their defense – which was so good in Game 1 – was an open door. The Celtics were expecting a strong Hawks response and they got it.
But when Joe Mazzulla turned to his bench, everything changed. The deepest team in the NBA showed itself again, even if Mazzulla has only gone eight deep to start the playoffs. Robert Williams, then Malcolm Brogdon entered the game and the Celtics went off and running. After falling behind early, the Celtics ripped off a huge first-half run and never looked back as they took complete control of their first-round series with a 119-106 Game 2 victory.
Jayson Tatum scored 29 points – including five 3-pointers – and some big buckets down the stretch as the Celtics held off several rallies from Dejounte Murray and the Hawks. It was his supporting cast that spurred the C’s to a commanding 2-0 series lead.
The Celtics have shown off their depth all season. They have players on the bench who could start for most teams elsewhere in the league. And that’s all come together this season because they each embrace their roles.
“We have a bunch of guys that don’t really care that want to win,” Mazzulla said. “We’re in a window now where everybody’s willing to put everything aside to want to win and I’m grateful for that.”
No group on the Celtics may exemplify that more than their three-headed guard trio of Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White, who were all instrumental in this Celtics victory. White scored 26 points and seven rebounds. Smart, after rediscovering his defensive form in Game 1, made several hustle plays. Brogdon – who filled up the stat sheet with 13 points, eight assists and seven rebounds – changed everything.
The C’s trailed 22-11 when Williams checked in, and moments later, trailed by nine when Brogdon came in. Soon, their deficit evaporated. Williams ignited a 17-3 quarter-ending run that was capped when Brogdon banked in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from halfcourt that gave the Celtics the lead for good.
The Celtics ended the first half by outsourcing the Hawks 50-27 – led by Brogdon’s six helpers – and they led by as many as 22 in the second half. Murray, who finished with 29 points on seven 3-pointers – was Atlanta’s catalyst as they got within single digits late. But White, Tatum and the Celtics had all the answers to seal the win.
