Basketball games are roughly two hundred possessions long. But in the playoffs, a handful of moments that might seem inconsequential in the fast flow of the game suddenly become bigger at the buzzer of a two-point game. After clawing back from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter, Boston took a brief lead in the 4th, but lost 103-101 in the closing seconds of Game 3.
Under a microscope, a bunch of plays now look awful in a two-point loss. The Antetokounmpo goaltend on Tatum’s floater. The Antetokounmpo elbow on the Tatum breakaway dunk. Portis’ elbow knocking out Robert Williams.