NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 8, 2022

Robert Williams

Boston Celtics

Game 3: Postgame

Celtics 116, Warriors 100

Q. Rob, can you kind of describe at your position what it's like to guard this team? You and some of the bigs are dropping there in the third quarter and they're hitting a lot of threes and it looked like you adjusted in the fourth. What changed between those two quarters?

ROBERT WILLIAMS: Yeah, it's tough. Coach Udoka looked at me one time and was like, Get up. I told him I thought I was up. Just playing against great players, you can't give them an inch of space at all. We had to adjust down the line.

Q. Robert, what's the day-to-day like? You're walking with a limp, but you seem to have gotten used to it. What's the pain like, the pain threshold? What's the last few weeks been like? And especially after Game 2, it seemed like from the Warriors' bench they were yelling, He can't move. It seemed like you were hobbled a little bit, and then suddenly three days later you're back to it seemed like old Rob. What's it been like?

ROBERT WILLIAMS: It's been rough. Throwing everything at it. Usually it's more sore the day after the game, obviously, adrenaline going down. But we did some different things today, got on the bike a little bit earlier before the game. I benefited from it.

Q. Did your knee feel different today when you were warming up, and was it better?

ROBERT WILLIAMS: Yeah, in warmups I felt a little more loose, so it was good.

Q. 52 points in the paint. You guys had 15 offensive rebounds. How were you able to take advantage of your size?

ROBERT WILLIAMS: We feel like they've been killing us on the glass this whole series. Wanted to just put an emphasis on it.

Q. Rob, you said it felt a little bit looser in warmups. What did you feel like during the day today? Did you have any idea how you were going to feel until you warmed up what tonight might be like?

ROBERT WILLIAMS: Yeah, usually by the day I can tell by how stiff it is, my range of motion. Really just let me know what I need to add to my warmups, what I need to do, what I don't need to do.

Q. When Marcus is often the smallest player on the court, what does it mean for you guys when he sets the tone with crashing the glass and doing all the extra things? Does that set the tone and culture for your defense?

ROBERT WILLIAMS: Yeah, for sure. I feel like that's anybody we see putting the effort, putting the emphasis on what they're doing. We're pretty good at following each other's energy.

Q. Does playing at this level, playing in the Finals, does that make it easier to get through the pain?

ROBERT WILLIAMS: Yeah, yeah, for sure. Knowing what I'm playing for, obviously. Taking the risk of playing and getting this far, I've obviously got more work to do, but it's worth it, for sure.

Q. Obviously you guys had a rough third quarter, only up four, you come out, had a big run right at the start. What was the message for you guys in the huddle and coming out to start that fourth quarter and try to bounce back there?

ROBERT WILLIAMS: Take the hits, keep fighting. Obviously, they're a great team that goes on runs, a lot of runs, but just withstanding the hit. I think we did a good job of it.

Q. Do you feel like you are putting yourself in some kind of risk with your knee, or is it just a matter of playing through pain and dealing with it and managing it on a daily basis?

ROBERT WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think it's a matter of playing through pain. Obviously, not getting the time off that I need for this injury. But yeah, just a matter of playing through pain. We'll focus on that after the season.

Q. Dealing with the nagging injury of this magnitude, is there a change in your routine at all game to game? And with the extra day, do you think that helped?

ROBERT WILLIAMS: Yeah, it's for sure a change in my routine. A lot more stretching, a lot more stim, a lot more icing. Like I said, really just trying stuff every day.

Q. Do you think the extra day helped?

ROBERT WILLIAMS: Yeah, for sure. Any time off helps me, helps all my teammates, obviously. Games 3 and 4, I don't have that time. So throw some more stuff at it, see how it reacts.

Q. How angry was Ime at you when you let Klay Thompson get that three near the end of the third quarter?

ROBERT WILLIAMS: Oh, he was -- yeah, you saw. Y'all saw it. That's actually one of the plays where he was like, Get up. I was like, I thought I was up. I'm right here.

He expects a lot out of us, which we respect that.

Q. They're a team that make you cover so much. How much have you learned through these three games and what are you taking away from the adjustments you need to make against these guys?

ROBERT WILLIAMS: Just stay together. Keep covering for each other. Previous games we mess up one coverage, we start not trusting each other. As a team, you have to trust each other when you're playing.

Q. Do you have a sense that from the time you got to this league to this point that maybe the officials have gotten an awareness of how you play? It seemed like you're able to go over players and grab rebounds without necessarily getting loose ball fouls.

ROBERT WILLIAMS: Yeah. You know, I feel like that's any player in the league. The officials learn how you play. Not necessarily letting you get away with stuff, but they know your moves, your tactics. They know how you play. They talk to me sometimes, tell me if I'm fouling too much, jump straight up. But it's pretty cool.

Q. What are you learning about yourself and your ability to push through this level of pain that you probably haven't had to push through before?

ROBERT WILLIAMS: Just trying to be accountable for my team. We made it this far. Like I said, obviously I had a discussion with myself, by pushing through this. I'm happy with how it's going. We'll worry about the injury after the season, but for now I'm still fighting.

Q. You've got two little ones at home. Do they understand that they can't play ball with dad or -- what's it like at home when they don't understand that you need to rest or stay off the knee or what you're doing?

ROBERT WILLIAMS: Yeah, my son, he just -- he's four months, so he's yelling and throwing up. (Laughter.) But my daughter understands. I was talking to her earlier, asking her where she was going later on today. She's like, I'm going to watch you play basketball. Sometimes I try to get pregame naps in and I hear little knocks on the door. I turn around, she make a sad face. But I got to go to sleep before the game.