[ad_1]
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – A grueling Game 6 of double overtime had just concluded and neither Boston nor Toronto would leave the court. Marcus Smart had a few things to say to the Raptors. Fred VanVleet had a few things to say to the Celtics.
The scrum decided nothing, as did the first six games.
All that matters now for the Raptors and Celtics is Friday night (Saturday Manila time), when they play Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series and decide who will face the Miami Heat in the finals of the This next week. Boston won the first two games of the series, Toronto won three of the last four.
“Just two tough teams playing tough,” said Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, who is 3-0 in his last three Game 7s.
Marcus Smart had a few words to say to the Raptors after Game 6.
Continue reading below ↓
Recommended Videos
There are two NBA games on the schedule for Friday (Saturday), one is a Game 7 and the other will likely have a Game 7 feel, especially for the Denver Nuggets. Denver follows the Los Angeles Clippers 3-1 in their Western Conference semifinal matchup, so it’s time to win or go home for the Nuggets, who are already 3-0 in elimination games this season after beating Utah in the first round. .
The Clippers could reach the Western Conference finals for the first time.
“I’m not worried about anything other than the next game we play,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said Thursday. “To me, honestly, I think that if you do it right, all the other things will take care of themselves. I am not a spectator ahead. … I just want to win tomorrow. “
The Raptors and Celtics, who played 58 minutes in Game 6 before Toronto found a way to extend its season through Friday, both had the day off Thursday. Some guys did light work, but the rotation players spent the day taking care of their bodies and minds.
“This is why you train,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. “I’m not talking about Game 7, in general. I’m just saying the super competitive playoffs, the stakes are high, it’s the crazy love of a coach, right?
The Celtics probably weren’t thrilled when the NBA Final 2 Minutes Report, a review of late-game calls, was released Thursday. The league said two no-calls ended up going against the Celtics at crucial moments in Game 6.
Kemba Walker’s layup attempt with the game tied at 98-98 should have led to a foul with about 3.4 seconds left in regulation time, the league said. Walker missed the shot and ended up on the ground; no foul was called.
“I just missed a layup, I guess,” Walker said.
The league also said Thursday that Toronto’s Norman Powell should have been cited for traveling with 1:34 left in the first overtime, a play in which Walker fouled him and made two free throws.
Regardless, that is over now. And Celtics coach Brad Stevens said there’s an appreciation that comes with being a part of moments and series like this.
“The older I get, the more I appreciate it,” Stevens said Thursday. “And I think it’s because I know how difficult it is to win. … That’s why I slept well last night. I am excited for tomorrow. It is a great opportunity. I see all these things as great opportunities.
“Our team has had a special season,” Stevens said. “His team has had a special season … We have the opportunity to play tomorrow, and we are going to give everything we have.”
MORE OF SPIN
A look at the games on Friday:
NUGGETS VS. SCISSORS
Los Angeles leads 3-1. Game 5, 6:30 pm EDT, TNT.
– NEED TO KNOW: The Clippers are 0-5 all-time in games where they could secure a trip to the conference finals. The Buffalo Braves lost Game 7 to Washington in 1975 in the Eastern semifinals, then the Clippers lost Game 7 to Phoenix in the 2006 Western semifinals, and then Games 5, 6, and 7 to Houston in the Western semifinals of 2015.
– KEEP AN EYE ON: Denver’s Michael Porter Jr. made interesting comments after Game 4, saying the Nuggets needed to get more players involved to stand a chance. He may not have been wrong, but his delivery was criticized, so he could feel some pressure going into Game 5.
– INJURY WATCH: The Clippers are as healthy now as they have really been at any point this season. Shows.
– THE PRESSURE IS ON: Denver rallied from 3-1 against Utah. The Nuggets can’t lose contact with the Clippers early in Game 5, or it could end quickly.
CELTICS VS. RAPTORS
Series tied 3-3. Game 7, 9 pm EDT, TNT.
– NEED TO KNOW: Game 7 in the NBA rarely disappoints, at least in recent years. Each of the last four games 7 has been decided by four points or less and the last eight final games have been decided by single digits; That’s the longest streak in the NBA since an 11-game streak from 1978 to 1981. There hasn’t been a Game 7 of overtime in the NBA for 14 years, the second-longest drought in league history.
– KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Fatigue levels. Entering Thursday, there were 12 instances of a player logging more than 49 minutes in a game this season, and eight of those 12 came in Game 6, four from the Raptors, four from the Celtics. Lowry, at 34, became the oldest player to play 53 minutes in a playoff game since Robert Parish (then 34) for Boston on May 26, 1988.
– INJURY WATCH: Lowry took three points to reassemble his chin after Game 6.
– THE PRESSURE IS ON: It’s on the Raptors because they are the defending champions. He’s on the Celtics because they’ve won three games, plus they should have won Game 3 and had their chances of winning Game 6. It’s Game 7. Everyone will feel pressure.
___
Spin fans join the Spin Viber community! Join the growing community now and complete the experience by subscribing to the Spin Chatbot.
