It's Grant Williams' World; the Rest Of Us Are Passing Through

Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo are great players, but it was Grant Williams' record-setting performance that stole the show in the C's Game 7 win which ended Milwaukee's reign as NBA champion.

Star-watching is nothing new when it comes to the NBA playoffs.

But it took on a completely different meaning Boston's 109-81 Game 7 blowout win over Milwaukee.

Instead of all eyes on the exploits of Jayson Tatum for Boston and Giannis Antetokounmpo for the Bucks, the star-watching most of the game was done by the stars who were witnesses to the Grant Williams show.

Williams, a full-time rotation player and part-time starter for the Celtics, delivered a game for the ages in helping lead Boston back to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2020.

In addition to setting a career-high mark in points scored with 27, Williams also set an NBA Game 7-record with 18 three-point attempts. And his seven made 3's, along with being a career-high, also tied Stephen Curry's NBA record for 3-pointers made in a Game 7 matchup (7).

"Each one, as time went on, got more comfortable," Williams said of his 3-point shooting binge. "It was fun..it was great that we got the win."

And to think, this is the same player who not that long ago, literally could not make a 3-pointer.

As a rookie, Williams missed 25 consecutive 3-pointers.

But since those rookie woes, Williams has worked tirelessly on improving his shot-making, and it paid off with a strong regular season showing in which he shot a career-best 41.1 percent from 3-point range.

And that success has carried over into the playoffs.

Following the game, Tatum was asked about Williams' play.

In addition to being one of Williams' most vocal supporters, Tatum likes to joke about Williams, too.

When asked about Williams' play, Tatum glanced at the final stats sheet and immediately locked into Williams' stat line that showed he had taken 18 three-point attempts.

"I told him, 'Don't get used to that," said Tatum who quickly added, "We needed it. He came up big. And in the playoffs, you need that."

Here are the other Stars as well as some Studs and Duds from Boston's series-clinching Game 7 win.

STARS

Jayson Tatum: While Game 7 Grant was doing his thing, Tatum had one of his more efficient games as far as scoring the ball. He had 23 points on 7-for-14 shooting. He also grabbed six rebounds to go with eight assists. The only real cringe-worthy stat posted by Tatum, was his game-high seven turnovers.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: Milwaukee's reign atop the NBA may be over, but it certainly wasn't due to anything Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't do. In a pivotal Game 7 matchup, Antetokounmpo delivered another gem of a performance, tallying a near triple-double with 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists to go with two steals and a blocked shot.

STUDS

Grant Williams: It's hard to imagine Grant Williams picking a better time to have the best game of his life for the Celtics. That's exactly what we saw in Game 7 as Williams led the Celtics with a career-high 27 points which included seven, made 3-pointers that equals the NBA record for made 3-pointers in a playoff Game 7. And his 18 three-point attempts set an NBA record for the most 3-point attempts in a Game 7.

Marcus Smart: Making shots (2-for-9 from the field) was a struggle for Marcus Smart in Game 7. But he did manage to make so many huge basketball plays as Boston's primary playmaker. He would finish the game with a double-double of 11 points and 10 assists.

Payton Pritchard: There was a definite high-level swagger with Payton's play all game long. And as the Celtics' lead grew, so did his confidence. For the game, Pritchard had 14 points off the bench on 5-for-7 shooting which included him making four of his six shot-attempts.

DUDS

Jrue Holiday: This wasn't the first game Jrue Holiday wasn't efficient in shooting the ball, but it will be his last time this season. Holiday had 21 points but did so on 9-for-21 shooting from the field to go with five rebounds and eight assists.

Pat Connaughton: After being a major spark for the Bucks in this series, his impact was non-existent in Game 7. He missed five of his six shot attempts, scoring just two points.