Preparing for a pivotal Game 6, the Boston Celtics have to bring out all their weapons. And the best news for them came with Robert Williams’ recent injury update. The 24-year-old rim protector has been the defensive anchor for the Celtics in the finals so far. However, he has been playing through a knee injury. According to the recent reports, Boston doesn’t feel like there will be any harm to Williams due to his ongoing knee injury. But a former superstar of the franchise feels otherwise.
Williams is one of the main reasons Boston became the best defensive side in the league. Becoming a block machine in the paint, Williams is an irreplaceable piece for Boston. In addition, he has given them handy points on the offensive end, being a constant aerial threat.
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However, he has gone to major lengths to play in the NBA finals, including draining his knee. And the Celtics feel him playing through the injury won’t cause any more stress on his already hurt knee.
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But now, looking at the same situation of the young Robert Williams, former Celtics star Isaiah Thomas spoke against the questionable call.
Isaiah Thomas is still not over the Celtics situation
With a season-defining game on their schedule, the pressure is all on the Celtics. Despite being at home, coming off back t0 back losses in an NBA final is never easy. And with there being no room for error left, the 17-time champions are taking the risky calls. With young talent in Williams already being a top shot-blocker in the league, his services are pivotal for the Celtics against the Warriors.
But that hasn’t come without the risk of playing through an injury. And Isaiah Thomas took a slight dig at the Celtics for giving Williams the same treatment as him.
With a personal experience of injury issues with the Celtics, Thomas did not stay quiet. Notably, Boston allowed him to play despite having an injured hip from back in March. But the situation went south when Thomas suffered a right femoral-acetabular impingement with a labral tear.
This caused him to miss out on the final three games against the Cavaliers in the ECF. Moreover, his career went south after the incident. Bouncing from team to team, the 5’9″ point guard became a role player with constant injury lay-offs. And in some time, he even lost his place in the NBA.
Heard that before lol https://t.co/oxOEWdvRyT
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) June 16, 2022
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The Celtics traded him away after Thomas was third in the scoring race averaging nearly 29 points per game. He gave it his all for the franchise, but the Celtics couldn’t ignore the injury concerns. And IT is not over what the Celtics did to him. He lashed out at them for allowing Williams to play through the injury.
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However, a major thing to note is both injuries were surely different. While Thomas’ hip injury was impossible to predict, Williams’ knee has a clearer picture. With their focus Celtics’ focus fixated on Game 6, they will need Williams to be an anchor on the defensive end. Leading the team in blocks averaging 2.4 per game, the 24-year-old’s presence will be a huge advantage for the side in Game 6.
Do you think Boston can pull off a miracle and push the series to 7 games? Let us know in the comments below.