Title: The Boston Barrage: A Night the Rim Remembered 🏀
The Boston Celtics unleashed an unprecedented barrage from beyond the arc on a cool March evening inside TD Garden, and basketball may never look the same again.
It was Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, 2027. Their opponents, the formidable Milwaukee Bucks, had stormed into Boston with the series tied 1–1 and momentum in their favor. Giannis Antetokounmpo was coming off a 42-point performance. The Celtics needed more than defense—they needed destruction. And they found it in the one place every modern team looks: the three-point line.
But this wasn’t just a hot night. This was historic.
This was the night Boston broke basketball.
From the tip, the Celtics played like a team possessed. Coach Ime Udoka—returned after a two-year sabbatical—had devised a new strategy known internally as “Project Greenlight.” It was analytics on steroids: AI-generated shot maps, real-time shooting probabilities fed into smart lenses worn by players, and a radical “no mid-range” offensive protocol. Either a layup or a three. No in-between.
The results? Devastating.
Jaylen Brown hit his first four threes in the opening quarter, each one more audacious than the last—step-backs, contested pull-ups, even a 30-footer off one leg to beat the shot clock. Jayson Tatum, locked in like a man chasing ghosts, scored 17 in the second quarter alone, going 6-for-6 from deep, including a turnaround fadeaway from the logo that sent TD Garden into seismic chaos.
By halftime, the Celtics had hit 23 threes—more than any team had ever made in an entire playoff game before. The crowd wasn’t cheering anymore; it was gasping, unable to keep up with the bombardment. Even opposing coach Doc Rivers stood hands on hips, shaking his head, muttering, “You can’t guard math.”
The final numbers defied belief:
Boston Celtics – 157, Milwaukee Bucks – 124
Total 3-pointers made: 47
3-point shooting percentage: 71%
It wasn’t just Tatum and Brown. The bench got in on the massacre too. Payton Pritchard hit five in the fourth quarter alone. Even Robert Williams III, who hadn’t attempted a three all season, drained one from the top of the arc—off the glass.
NBA statisticians scrambled. No game—regular season or playoffs—had ever seen a team attempt 60+ threes and make over 70%. ESPN dubbed it the “Boston Barrage” before the final buzzer even sounded. By the next morning, “Greenlight Offense” was trending worldwide.
Critics called it sacrilegious. Purists mourned the death of the mid-range. But fans? They were electrified. Children shot from deeper on driveways. Shoe companies launched “Barrage Series” sneakers within a week. A high school team in California launched a “47 threes or bust” challenge.
And in the post-game presser, Tatum stood beside Brown, both draped in sweat and smiles. When asked if they could do it again, Tatum simply said:
“If the rim’s still there, we’re still shooting.”
The league would adjust. Defenses would evolve. But for one night, the Boston Celtics touched perfection—from a distance.
And the rim will never forget. 🏀
