Robert Williams dominated Game 3 of the NBA Finals with his presence on defense, especially in the zone. There was a question mark behind his use – and that will remain the case for the time being.
It’s the peak of the NBA season, the point where tactics are at their highest level, where small adjustments can make huge differences, where some scenes can be the subject of doctoral theses. And sometimes it’s still very simple in the finals.
Sometimes the advantage you have of being taller and more athletic than your opponent is enough. When you can jump higher, have longer arms, get back in the air quicker. When you’re Robert Williams III and you’re fighting for a rebound against the shorter and older Draymond Green.
There was a nice example of this midway through the fourth quarter of Game 3. Jayson Tatum dribbled down the clock, then passed the ball to Marcus Smart, who snapped from the outside. The throw went wide, but Boston retained possession because Williams, despite being worse positioned, simply got to the ball faster than Green. In this scene, while Boston didn’t capitalize on it, it did take some time off the clock again, and it wasn’t an isolated incident.
The Celtics got a total of 15 offensive rebounds and converted them into 22 second chance points. They were physically superior, more athletic, longer. A very large part of that was down to Williams – and it wasn’t clear before the game if he would even play. Or whether he should play given how the first two games went.
Robert Williams: Fit is different
Williams is currently walking around with several injuries, most notably he tore a meniscus in his left knee, which cost him the end of the regular season and is still visibly limiting. The center is constantly evaluated, constantly having to be re-determined as to whether its pain level is tolerable, whether it can be deployed.
When he plays, it’s never at 100 percent. In game 2, for example, he only had 2 points and rebounds each, played 14 minutes, was at times the identified weak point in Boston’s defense, the player who was specifically attacked. His limp was also visible in game 3, he is not running smoothly, that will probably only change if he can pause for a few weeks or even months.
“I think it’s about playing with pain,” Williams said afterwards. “I’m not getting the recovery time I need with this injury, but that’s what we’ll focus on after the season.” In the meantime, he has more important things to do. It’s about the title and with performances like this one Williams can do a lot.
Robert Williams: The Time Lord is everywhere
Pain or not: In game 3 the “Time Lord” was to be found everywhere, by no means only on the offensive board. He also changed the game defensively and was by no means a weak point, but a nightmare for Golden State. Boston scored twice as many points in the zone as the visitors (52-26), in no small part because Williams looked like the regular-season terror again as a help defenseman, earning him an All-Defense (Second Team) nomination. brought in.
A fine example, again from the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry left Grant Williams in isolation at the perimeter and was practically through because Golden State had cleared his side of the court. But the other Williams was there and powerful enough to block the floater, which was actually placed very high. It was his fourth rejection of the game and another momentum killer for the Warriors.
“That was great,” said head coach Ime Udoka afterwards. “Not only the shots he blocked, but also the shots he changed. His presence down there keeps players from going to the basket. He was a big part of what we did.”
Williams was actually a massive intimidation factor near the basket. He was that in game 1 and sometimes even in game 2, but he only had a limited positive impact in these games and Boston looked far better when Udoka relied on smaller lineups, especially Al Horford as the only big man.
