PHILADELPHIA — Grant Williams was writhing on the courtroom in ache. He was holding his face, crouched down with two knees on the bottom, and eventually emerged to go sit on the Celtics bench. His face was bloodied.
The Celtics forward had merely taken the shot of all pictures. As Jaylen Brown fouled Joel Embiid with 5:08 remaining inside the fourth quarter, our our bodies have been flying. Brown had dove to the bottom for a unfastened ball, and he took our our bodies with him. He collided with Williams. As they every crashed to the bottom, Embiid was trying to keep up his stability when he inadvertently stomped straight on Williams’ head.
All of the burden of the 76ers 280-pounder’s correct foot, correct on Williams’ skull.
“Once I noticed Grant get his head stepped on by a 300-pound particular person, to see that reside was loopy, seeing that in actual time,” Brown acknowledged. “It was in all probability the craziest factor I’ve seen on a basketball courtroom.”
Williams found the video after the game, and though he had already lived it, the seen was merely as jarring.
“Dang, I actually bought curb stomped,” Williams acknowledged.
Williams, in any case, left the game. However solely briefly. He was attended to by Celtics trainers for a minute sooner than he checked once more in. It appeared as if he had escaped a in all probability extreme hurt from the stomp, and Embiid made sure to apologize to him as soon as they met once more on the courtroom.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had no state of affairs putting Williams correct once more into the hearth.
“He can deal with it,” Mazzulla acknowledged.
The sequence was one different occasion of how loads Williams means to the Celtics, significantly on this sequence in direction of Embiid. Williams didn’t score some extent in Friday night time time’s Sport 3 victory, nonetheless continued to play admirable safety, and take a violent shot to his head, in doing so. Throughout a tumultuous season whereby his minutes and place has declined, his willingness to do what’s requested at any time when needed continues to go a good way.
“I didn’t see what truly occurred till after the sport. That was form of nasty,” Jayson Tatum acknowledged. “Clearly, it was incidental, nonetheless I acknowledged it earlier, Grant does quite a few points that don’t always current up inside the stat sheet. His price to our workforce is awfully essential. I really feel that really confirmed tonight. …
“That (unsure enjoying time) must be powerful, however I believe that’s a testomony to his character and him being an expert. Staying prepared. On off days, Grant is in there enjoying 5-on-5 with the low-minute guys, and never essentially understanding when he’s going to play, however simply being prepared. We speak to him on a regular basis of simply protecting your head, we’re going to want you in some unspecified time in the future. You’re going to play tonight. Tonight confirmed that.”
