National Basketball Association

Celtics' Jae Crowder hits ridiculous game-winner to clinch No. 7 seed

Published Apr. 15, 2015 11:49 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Celtics have scrapped together their fair share of heroes this season. Add Jae Crowder to the list.

With Boston and Toronto exchanging scores over the final few possessions of Tuesday night's game, the Celtics ended up getting the ball back with only 3.1 seconds remaining. Tie ballgame. Inbounds coming from the baseline. What do you do? Oh, I guess you do this:

Once that shot hit the bottom of the net and another 0.8 seconds ran off the clock, Boston had clinched the seventh seed in the East.

Many have lauded coach Brad Stevens for his "original" play call on this one, though it wasn't that out-of-nowhere. The Celtics ran the exact same baseline out-of-bounds play to tie the game on the previous possession. It should've been fresh on the Raptors' minds, even if Boston did switch personnel a bit for the final move.

Still, this is a nearly impossible pass to make from the angle from which Marcus Smart had to inbound the ball. That said, Kyle Lowry made things a little easier for the rookie.

The Celtics' reward? A first-round matchup with the Cavaliers.