Inside The Celtics

The Top 5 Plays from Game 4 Between the Celtics and Heat

From a pair of alley-oops to Boston battling on the boards, a Jayson Tatum block leading to a Jaylen Brown layup, and Al Horford rejecting Caleb Martin at the rim, here are the top five plays from Game 4 between the Celtics and Heat.

Bobby Krivitsky

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

From a pair of alley-oops to Boston battling on the boards, a Jayson Tatum block leading to a Jaylen Brown layup, and Al Horford rejecting Caleb Martin at the rim, here are the top five plays from Game 4 between the Celtics and Heat.

Robert Williams Announces Return in Emphatic Fashion

Jayson Tatum swings the ball to Al Horford in the near-side corner. Horford pump fakes Bam Adebayo, and his drive pulls Kyle Lowry towards him and off Robert Williams, prompting Horford to throw the lob to his front-court mate.

Derrick White Throws the Lob, Jayson Tatum Takes Care of the Rest

Derrick White absorbs a hard screen from Adebayo, then trips over Adebayo's leg as he fights to stay in the play. That puts Horford in a precarious situation, but he stays in front of Max Strus, who never seems aware of Payton Pritchard's presence. Pritchard reaches in, knocks the ball free, gets the steal, and throws it ahead to White. Despite a terrific from Adebayo, he had too much ground to cover, and he's unable to prevent Tatum from finishing off the alley-oop.

The Fifth Time's the Charm

Jaylen Brown, attacking off the catch, gets by Gabe Vincent for a floater off two feet from deep in the paint, but the shot doesn't go down. Neither does Robert Williams' initial put-back attempt. The ball ends up in Grant Williams' hands, but Duncan Robinson thwarts his first shot, and Williams can't capitalize on the second, but that's when Boston gets rewarded for its efforts on the boards as the Timelord cleans up the miss.

That play exemplified the Celtics flipping the script, playing with more physicality and greater urgency than the Heat in Game 4.

Jayson Tatum with the Block, Jaylen Brown with the Bucket

It starts with a commendable second effort from Tatum after he runs Victor Oladipo off the three-point line. Rather than being out of control as he closes out, Tatum's able to slam on the breaks, get back in the play, and with Horford and Brown helping against Oladipo's drive, including the latter getting vertical, it buys time for Tatum to swat his shot from over the top.

Payton Pritchard then pushes the pace, gets the ball to Brown, and the latter goes forcefully into Vincent's chest for two points at the cup.

Al Horford Denies Caleb Martin

With the outcome already determined, this play was the exclamation mark on the Celtics' decisive win in Game 4. Caleb Martin gets through a narrow corridor between White and Horford, but when he tries to go off two feet and finish at the other side of the rim, Horford swats his shot, sending the TD Garden crowd to their feet.

Further Reading

What Stood Out from Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals: In a Must-Win Game, Celtics Deliver

Celtics Discuss Not Matching Heat's Urgency, Physicality in Game 3: 'If we want to win this series, we have to match that physicality'

What Stood Out from Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals: Heat Play with More Urgency, Celtics Commit 24 Turnovers in Loss

Marcus Smart, Robert Williams Earn NBA All-Defensive Team Selections

A 'Grateful' Al Horford Discusses Getting Cleared for Game 2

What Stood Out from Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals: Celtics Win Decisively, Tying the Series as it Heads to Boston

For the Celtics to Avoid Going Down 0-2, Here's What they Have to Address

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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