How Celtics’ Robert Williams impacted Game 3 win over Nets in return: ‘It was great to see him catch a lob’

NEW YORK — From the moment Robert Williams III checked into the game, there was no denying his impact. It was his first game in nearly a month, and despite undergoing meniscus surgery about 3.5 weeks ago, he was still his high-flying self.

The Celtics beat the Nets on Saturday at Barclays Center to go up 3-0 in the first-round series. But the subplot of the game — especially important long-term — was Williams’ health, and how he felt coming out of his first game action in weeks.

The initial prognosis, Boston coach Ime Udoka said, was exactly what they wanted in a low-minutes game Saturday. That’s a great sign for the Celtics as they eye a potential deep playoff run. And Williams said he’s feeling pain-free coming out of the game.

“My spirit has been great just because after the surgery, I was more mobile than I thought I’d be,” Williams said. “I was sad when I hurt myself and I was sitting on the bench because I knew something was wrong. When they told me 4-to-6 weeks, I just broke it down week-by-week in my head, and just been grinding to get back.”

Williams played 16 minutes Saturday, finishing with two points, two rebounds, an assist and a block. It wasn’t necessarily all about production in his first minutes since March 27, but Williams walked away with some highlights anyway.

First was when Andre Drummond tried to post-up on Williams. Like he had done 134 times during the regular season, Williams blocked Drummond’s attempt and pinned the ball against the backboard. Then a couple game minutes later, Williams threw down a lob from Jayson Tatum on Drummond. The Celtics’ dependable lob threat was back.

“Rob looked pretty damn good to me,” Jaylen Brown said. “Came back, instant impact, what he’s been doing all year, protecting the rim, had some big blocks, some lobs. It was great to see him catch a lob — that was uplifting for everybody. Just his presence being there on the floor, knowing he’s behind us makes us feel good.”

While Williams made his return Saturday, the Celtics will continue to stay cautious with the big man. Boston also has that luxury up 3-0 on Brooklyn. If the Celtics can close out the series in four or five games, they’ll likely have some downtime before their second-round series should they make it that far.

That means more time for Williams to knock off any rust while ensuring his knee is in top condition. As the Celtics look to make a deep playoff run, Williams’ contribution will make the league’s best defense whole again.

“He was great, honestly could have played more,” Udoka said. “He had no problems at all, his confidence is up. That’s what we wanted to see tonight, a lower-minute game. Had him slotted for more, he got to 15-and-a-half and he felt good and impacted the game in a positive way.”

There was some initial doom when Williams went down. The timeline to return from a torn meniscus can significantly vary, so there wouldn’t be much clarity until further testing and surgery. But Williams had perhaps a best-case scenario considering he was back on the court only 27 days later.

Williams said surgery wasn’t too scary, instead worrying more about the recovery process. He said he broke it down to a weekly regimen and rehab; the approach worked perfectly as Williams was ahead of schedule on his rehab.

The Celtics will look to sweep the Nets in Game 4, which is set for 7 p.m. Monday at Barclays Center. It’s unclear yet what the plan is for Williams for the next game, but he said he hasn’t felt any pain and he’s ready to go.

“Getting Rob back is huge for our team,” Tatum said. “Even in limited minutes, how much of an impact he made on the game. Even if it doesn’t show up, just his presence being a lob threat, rim protector, great passer. Rob was big for us off the bench tonight. If we was going to do anything special this year, this postseason, we definitely need him.”

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