Sometimes you just need a little luck to break your way.
Baylor Scheierman banked in a shot that would have beaten the third-quarter buzzer, but it was wiped out by a Brooklyn Nets foul. When Scheierman threw the ensuing inbound pass, the plan was to hit Derrick White.
It ended up back in his hands instead.
“(Kristaps Porzingis) jumped in front of it and he threw it back to me,” Scheierman explained. “I was surprised he threw it back to me, so I tried to get my feet and balance as quick as possible and just let it fly … DWhite was actually going to be open in the corner because his man fell asleep and he was cutting open. But it just worked out that way.”
A lot of things worked out Scheierman’s way as he set his second career-high scoring night this month. Ten of his 11 made 3-pointers this season have come in March, and six of them were against the Nets on Tuesday night.
One of them was a heat check that, from any other spot on the floor, would have missed and bounced long. But because this night belonged to Scheierman, the bounce went from the front of the rim, to the top of the backboard, back down to the front of the rim, and finally in.
The crowd erupted. So did his teammates, laughing on their way back to the bench after Brooklyn called the timeout. Maybe it was the audacity taking that shot in a one-point game halfway through the fourth quarter. Maybe it was because the geometry of the bounces would have even confused Euclid. Maybe it was both.
“I think it’s just the anticipation,” Porzingis said. “The whole arena wanted that shot to go in for Baylor. Hitting that rim, and then, I don’t know. It was just a moment of anticipation and joy. … It was just we were all happy for Baylor.”
It’s hard not to be. Scheierman has worked his way past others on the depth chart on nights like this one where Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both sat out. He’s becoming a fan favorite, but for more than splashing 27-foot bombs.
“It was more than the 3s,” Joe Mazzulla said. “He got two big offensive rebounds for us, he got two steals, I think a deflection in the fourth quarter, and then obviously his threes helped. … The threes are a plus. To me, it was the defensive effort, and the offensive rebounding and the toughness that he played with.”
Anyone who knows Mazzulla knows how much he values toughness. He used the word five times when talking about Scheierman.
“He’s got a chip on his shoulder, and kind of like an F-U mentality to where he’s going to make it work,” Mazzulla said. “We saw that on some of his box outs, some of his offensive rebounds. Again, the 3s were great, but I like the mindset and the toughness that he brought on both ends of the floor.”
Scheierman knows he’s on a team full of guys who can make those same shots but do so much else on the floor. That's why he was subbed out with four minutes to go in an undecided game despite having 12 points in the fourth quarter. Those other plays Mazzulla mentioned are as important to him getting extended opportunity as dialing in his long-range bombs.
"He plays really hard and I think the fans see that and they appreciate that,” Porzingis said. “And then on top of that, a game like this offensively, just beautiful to watch. And that was a beautiful, beautiful game from him."
Scheierman started the season in Maine, unsure if he’d ever get on the floor in Boston. Going back and forth can be a bit of a grind, which can easily chip away at someone’s confidence. But he’s been able to make the most of whatever situation he’s in.
I think I’ve just done a good job of trying to just be where my feet are, whether that’s Maine or here,” he said. “(I) try to just learn as much as possible … just trying to take bits and pieces from everybody and kind of just mold it into my routine and how I go about things. And I think that’s the biggest thing that I’ve seen over the course of the year is just the growth that I’ve learned and just staying ready for whenever my number is called.”
It’s working out pretty well for him right now. So many basketball stories have completely different endings because of a weird bounce or a bit of bad luck. The years that go by will erase the nuance of the night and we’ll forget about how the Garden Gremlins did their dirty work to turn what might have been a forgettable night into an early career highlight for Scheierman. All we’ll remember is the shots falling and Scheierman turning to the crowd to soak in the moment.
“Yeah, it's pretty special,” he said. “When I hit that buzzer beater and the crowd was going crazy, that was probably a top three environment I've ever been a part of. And obviously I played in a lot of big games. And so it's just special and that's obviously what makes Boston so elite and the best sports town in the country, the best city in the country.”