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Celtics’ Robert Williams played with stomach virus during Game 7 against Heat

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated30 May 2023

Celtics Robert Williams played with stomach virus during Game 7 against Heat

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III played with a stomach virus during Monday night’s 103-84 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, according to sources.

“There was one other health matter that a Celtics player had,” reported Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. “I’m told that Robert Williams was throwing up during the game. He only played 14 minutes last night.”

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“He was coming in and coming out of the game,” Charania added. “When he came out, he was throwing up. He was dealing with a stomach virus, a stomach bug, that he played through. He was sick yesterday, and he’s still sick going into today.”

Robert Williams ended his Game 7 outing with eight points, six rebounds, and one assist in less than 14 minutes played off the bench. The fifth-year Celtics center shot 4-of-5 (80%) from the floor as well.

Celtics center Robert Williams played through a stomach virus in Monday night’s Game 7 loss against Heat

In the end, the Celtics became the 150th NBA team to lose a seven-game series after trailing 3-0. Boston joined the 2003 Portland Trail Blazers (first round), 1994 Denver Nuggets (second round), and 1951 New York Knicks (NBA Finals) as 3-0 teams to force a Game 7 and lose.

“When we were down 3-0, the thing was: How do we want to be defined?” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. “I thought they showed a lot of character by even getting to this point.”


In 20 appearances of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Williams made only four starts in consecutive contests: Games 6 and 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals and Games 1 and 2 versus Miami in the ECF.

Williams averaged 7.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.3 blocks, and 20.9 minutes per game this postseason. The 6-foot-9 center also shot 78.8% from the field and 67.9% at the foul line.

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