BOSTON — Midway through the third quarter Monday night as the Celtics were pushing their lead to as much as 32 points, Rudy Gobert couldn’t resist.
“This Boston defense is tough” the Utah Jazz center tweeted.
This was both innocuous and accurate at a time when the Celtics were smothering the Miami Heat and rewriting a slew of records on their way to a 102-82 victory that tied the Eastern Conference finals at 2-2.
But Gobert, it sure seemed, was subtweeting. He had a point, though maybe not his preferred one.
Gobert was noting the Celtics looked great on defense even though Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart was out because of an ankle injury.
Gobert, a three-time DPOY, appears to still be salty that Smart beat him for the award.
What Gobert was saying without saying, though, is the Heat were powerless to score against Boston in the half court, Smart’s absence notwithstanding.
The Heat are hurting at the moment, and they look like they’re going to need some help to take two out of the three games left to reach the Finals. Be it the injury gods, the Celtics themselves or some yet to be discovered offensive savior.
