Celtics vs 76ers, Round 2 Discussion

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

The defensive intensity (Time Lord forever, Smart, Horford, Brown) and counters (Grant seemed obvious) were way more effective tonight.

Also, while the C's won't go 20-51 from deep every game, Mazzulla was right about taking more threes. In game one, they took 26 because the 76ers did a good job chasing them off the line. But in their regular season contests where the Celtics went 3-1 vs Philly, they took no fewer than 35 threes in any of those four games. Tonight the C's were seeking these shots and if they weren't there they were driving with Brown, Smart and Brogdon either taking it themselves or finding the open big/corner guy. Philly had absolutely no answer.

Let's see what Doc's staff cooks up for game three. IMO they don't have a ton of obvious solutions, especially if Tatum is more assertive but that actually has to happen too. Point is, the C's need to keep firing from deep - even Horford and Smart - because it works against Philadelphia. And play good defense again too.

 

[NomarsFool]

Edit: Oh, are you talking about Tucker's retaliation after he thought he was fouled? I thought that was more of a chest/shoulder strike than any sort of swinging arm/fist nut punch.

It wasn't a nut punch, but I think it was also a no look punch. One no look punch could be an accident. I think two in back to back games means it's part of his bag of tricks.

 

[djbayko]

It wasn't a nut punch, but I think it was also a no look punch. One no look punch could be an accident. I think two in back to back games means it's part of his bag of tricks.

Either way, he's definitely the type of crafty, low-skill, high-hustle veteran who does those sorts of things.

 

[NomarsFool]

Either way, he's definitely the type of crafty, low-skill, high-hustle veteran who does those sorts of things.

I can respect the defensive intensity, the hustle, all that kind of stuff, up until the point of trying to hurt other players. I have no respect for that.

 

[Van Everyman]

Has Harden been released yet from the hospital after that vicious beating Tatum administered to him?

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Wasn't around for the game thread tonight, but just wanted to point out a few things I noticed.

Jaylen Brown is playing kind of possessed, his defense on Harden, or anyone else he had to guard was stifling tonight. FTR, Harden and Embiid had 12 points on 6 made field goals combined tonight (they added 15 from the free throw line). Philly ain't going to win many games with those guys making 6 shots. And offensively, he set the tone early, and his attempted dunk on Embiid, which didn't work, put them on notice, especially after he went up a few minutes earlier and laid one up over him.

Tatum got fucked early with the foul trouble, but he played smart in spurts, and still showed up defensively.

Smart/White/Brogdon fought all night long, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't, but defensively, they were working.

Al was a mess from deep, but Grant wasn't. Grant having a big night was very important going forward, IMO, he's going to get minutes in this series.

The defense was just spectacular, all night. Embiid is a shell, Doc should be raked over the coals for putting him out there tonight, after already stealing one, instead of resting him, and James Harden's conditioning is going to be a problem for them.

All in all, this is the team that can win a championship, even with their best player barely doing anything, and Al going like 1 for eternity from the field.

 

[Euclis20]

If Embiid wasn't risking further injury by playing today, I don't see any problem running him out there. He's been off for so long he was bound to be rusty no matter what, might as well shake it off in a game that you don't NEED to have. The Celtics were massive favorites to win tonight, maybe bringing back Embiid gives you a boost and a shot to put Boston in a deep hole.

If he was risking further injury by playing today instead of resting for as long as possible, then it was incredibly stupid.

 

[jablo1312]

2022 ECF. Blow game 1 at home in frustrating fashion. Come out in game 2 and administer a beatdown. Same as this year.

Can they come out and make a statement on the road in g3? The D was great tonight, the consistent driving and passing to set up 3's was awesome, biggest bellweather for me was only 6 turnovers after 16 in game 1(many of the of the maddening vareity).Can they PLEASE go two straight playoff games without throwing the ball to the other team 10 times?

 

[GeorgeCostanza]

Really? Wow, I didn't see that. Got a vid?

Edit: Oh, are you talking about Tucker's retaliation after he thought he was fouled? I thought that was more of a chest/shoulder strike than any sort of swinging arm/fist nut punch.

Which in and of itself was ridiculous. Like a 3 year old.

 

[Auger34]

Which in and of itself was ridiculous. Like a 3 year old.

I am still stunned that wasn’t a flagrant. I mean, it was incredibly obvious he was just trying to throw a shoulder into Jaylen, there wasn’t even any pretense of anything else

 

[jmcc5400]

Wasn't around for the game thread tonight, but just wanted to point out a few things I noticed.

Jaylen Brown is playing kind of possessed, his defense on Harden, or anyone else he had to guard was stifling tonight. FTR, Harden and Embiid had 12 points on 6 made field goals combined tonight (they added 15 from the free throw line). Philly ain't going to win many games with those guys making 6 shots. And offensively, he set the tone early, and his attempted dunk on Embiid, which didn't work, put them on notice, especially after he went up a few minutes earlier and laid one up over him.

Tatum got fucked early with the foul trouble, but he played smart in spurts, and still showed up defensively.

Smart/White/Brogdon fought all night long, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't, but defensively, they were working.

Al was a mess from deep, but Grant wasn't. Grant having a big night was very important going forward, IMO, he's going to get minutes in this series.

The defense was just spectacular, all night. Embiid is a shell, Doc should be raked over the coals for putting him out there tonight, after already stealing one, instead of resting him, and James Harden's conditioning is going to be a problem for them.

All in all, this is the team that can win a championship, even with their best player barely doing anything, and Al going like 1 for eternity from the field.

I know you love him - Jaylen was an absolute alpha, Jimmy Butlerish MFer tonight. I was *fine* that he tried to cram on Embiid. It showed that he wasn’t afraid at all and was going to keep coming. I *love* the attitude and passion he is playing with.

 

[luckiestman]

I know you love him - Jaylen was an absolute alpha, Jimmy Butlerish MFer tonight. I was *fine* that he tried to cram on Embiid. It showed that he wasn’t afraid at all and was going to keep coming. I *love* the attitude and passion he is playing with.

This was one of my favorite games I have seen from him. He wanted all of it

 

[Spelunker]

I've had a lot of critiques of Jaylen as a team defender, but holy fuck was this matchup made for him. Man up D on Harden is what he was designed for.

 

[Reverend]

Wow, I am stunned by this. I would 100000000% hold him out if I am Doc Rivers. If I were a Sixer fan, I’d want them to hold him out!
Philly accomplished what they came to do. They got 1 at Boston. They are completely playing with house money. If they get beaten down tonight, they have in their back pocket that Embiid wasn’t playing and morale will still be high going into Game 3.

If Joel plays tonight and looks bad and the Celtics win I think that’s a pretty crushing defeat. They still split and now have home court but I think the morale and confidence of the team and fans would take a huge hit

This post has held up well.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Has Harden been released yet from the hospital after that vicious beating Tatum administered to him?

Yes he left Mass General an hour ago but will be in Concussion Protocol for 18 months after that hit.

 

[m0ckduck]

2022 ECF. Blow game 1 at home in frustrating fashion. Come out in game 2 and administer a beatdown. Same as this year.

Can they come out and make a statement on the road in g3? The D was great tonight, the consistent driving and passing to set up 3's was awesome, biggest bellweather for me was only 6 turnovers after 16 in game 1(many of the of the maddening vareity).Can they PLEASE go two straight playoff games without throwing the ball to the other team 10 times?

It's going to be frustrating when we head into a game 7 against this Sixers team, having outscored them by 80+ points through the first 6.

 

[nighthob]

I take it back. He did the same no look punch tonight on Brown. Must be a "skill" he has picked up over his years in the NBA.

Tucker has made a career out of cheap shots. And they're not really no look, he sees them in his peripheral vision and flails his arm. The NBA could put a stop to it by suspending him every time he does it.

 

[lovegtm]

The Sixers are so much easier to guard with "limited Embiid" out there. They shot horribly from 3, and the 3s they were getting were much lower quality and volume than game 1.

I thought Mazzulla really hit all the notes, to the point that I wish we had seen more Grant in game 1 to enable switch-everything. And of course, the most important note in the playoffs is "get your guys to play fucking harder than the game before", and that definitely happened.

This series is every other day. If that version of Embiid is the one we're getting, this will get ugly for Philly. He's a shell of himself on offense, and there are ways to attack him on D, 5 blocks notwithstanding. (Also, his "block" on Jaylen was an egregious hack.)

 

[lovegtm]

...
Also, while the C's won't go 20-51 from deep every game, Mazzulla was right about taking more threes. In game one, they took 26 because the 76ers did a good job chasing them off the line. But in their regular season contests where the Celtics went 3-1 vs Philly, they took no fewer than 35 threes in any of those four games. Tonight the C's were seeking these shots and if they weren't there they were driving with Brown, Smart and Brogdon either taking it themselves or finding the open big/corner guy. Philly had absolutely no answer.
...

This is very important. We all want the Celtics to "attack the rim", but in game 1, Philly zoned up and then showed tons of bodies at the rim, which negates that if you're not willing to shoot 3s. It's weird to say that the Celtics need to jack it up more, but they definitely did need to, and clearly made it a focus to let open shots fly.

Interestingly, this was one of the big adjustments that Snyder made to get Atlanta back into the series: telling his guys to just let it rip from 3 with confidence, and play off of that. It felt like the Celtics had gotten in a pattern of thinking that they were supposed to be attacking the rim all the time, and it was making the offense stagnant and easier to defend.

Al's willingness to shoot, even when he was missing everything, really kept things opened up.

 

[128]

Only six turnovers for the C's. That's a formula for success.

 

[BaseballJones]

The Sixers are 11-5 in the regular season, and 2-0 in the playoffs, without Embiid. That's a total of 13-5 (.722).
The Sixers are 43-23 in the regular season, and 3-1 in the playoffs, with Embiid. That's a total of 46-24 (.657).

How can a guy be the league MVP when his team has been better WITHOUT him than WITH him?

 

[lovegtm]

The Sixers are 11-5 in the regular season, and 2-0 in the playoffs, without Embiid. That's a total of 13-5 (.722).
The Sixers are 43-23 in the regular season, and 3-1 in the playoffs, with Embiid. That's a total of 46-24 (.657).

How can a guy be the league MVP when his team has been better WITHOUT him than WITH him?

They definitely can win without him, but I'd want to check the selection of those regular season sans-Embiid wins. I bet they load managed him more against easier opponents.

It's also easier to play without a star intermittently, rather than on a regular basis. If the Sixers had to play a full season without Embiid, I bet they'd be a 45-win type team in the East.

 

[BaseballJones]

The Sixers are so much easier to guard with "limited Embiid" out there. They shot horribly from 3, and the 3s they were getting were much lower quality and volume than game 1.

I thought Mazzulla really hit all the notes, to the point that I wish we had seen more Grant in game 1 to enable switch-everything. And of course, the most important note in the playoffs is "get your guys to play fucking harder than the game before", and that definitely happened.

This series is every other day. If that version of Embiid is the one we're getting, this will get ugly for Philly. He's a shell of himself on offense, and there are ways to attack him on D, 5 blocks notwithstanding. (Also, his "block" on Jaylen was an egregious hack.)

Agreed except the last parenthetical statement.



Totally clean on the ball.

It was after the block, on the follow through, where his hand made contact with Brown's face.



That was where there was definite contact. But by NBA standards, it wasn't hard contact, and Brown didn't even put up a hint of an argument there. He didn't even look at the ref as if to say, "You gonna call that?" He didn't react at all except to run back down the court. He's not the biggest complainer in the world, but if he got smashed in the face worthy of a foul, especially given his nose situation, he'd have said SOMETHING to a ref.

Here's the full clip here:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0hZrR1Golc


I thought by NBA standards it was a great play.

On a different reffing note....that Maxey move where he up-faked and scored off the window....he literally took FIVE steps on that play. I stopped my YouTubeTV and rewound it a few times just to make sure. FIVE steps. It was insane. My wife was like, that was such a great move, and I'm like, yeah, well, when the ref lets you take FIVE steps, it better be a great move.

 

[BaseballJones]

They definitely can win without him, but I'd want to check the selection of those regular season sans-Embiid wins. I bet they load managed him more against easier opponents.

It's also easier to play without a star intermittently, rather than on a regular basis. If the Sixers had to play a full season without Embiid, I bet they'd be a 45-win type team in the East.

Here are the 18 games without Embiid (including playoffs):

beat Tor (playoff team)
beat Was
lost to Was
lost to NY (playoff team)
beat Brooklyn (playoff team - with Durant and Kyrie)
lost to Charlotte
beat Orlando
beat Orlando
beat Indiana
lost to Chicago
beat Det
beat Sac (playoff team)
beat Mia (playoff team)
lost to Den (playoff team)
beat Atl (playoff team)
beat Brooklyn (playoff team)
beat Brooklyn (playoff team)
beat Boston (playoff team)

So of these 18 games, 10 of them were against playoff teams, and they went 8-2 against those teams. They went 5-3 against non-playoff teams.

 

[Devizier]

Last night I switched from the low quality internet streams to the NBA.com one. I had been avoiding this for the playoffs because the best you can do is the mosaic view, which can be hard to follow.

However, they had two cameras trained on Tatum/Embiid and you could really see what those guys bring especially off ball. Tatum on a superficially bad night running screens everywhere, dragging one, sometimes two defenders with him. He rarely stopped moving, and Philly had to pay attention to him. Embiid parked in the paint, allowing the Celtics to bunch up in there. He didn’t set many screens, either. He was moving around on defense okay, though. Maybe he just feels more comfortable there.

 

[Van Everyman]

This is very important. We all want the Celtics to "attack the rim", but in game 1, Philly zoned up and then showed tons of bodies at the rim, which negates that if you're not willing to shoot 3s. It's weird to say that the Celtics need to jack it up more, but they definitely did need to, and clearly made it a focus to let open shots fly.

Interestingly, this was one of the big adjustments that Snyder made to get Atlanta back into the series: telling his guys to just let it rip from 3 with confidence, and play off of that. It felt like the Celtics had gotten in a pattern of thinking that they were supposed to be attacking the rim all the time, and it was making the offense stagnant and easier to defend.

Al's willingness to shoot, even when he was missing everything, really kept things opened up.

I said this before but I think it threw the Celtics off to have to gameplan for an Embiid-less team in game 1. They don’t normally just go inside every play but, understandably, they did. And it mostly worked. They got to the rim and scored at will.

But it came at a cost. No ball movement. Out of rhythm. Lots of turnovers. Terrible defensive effort.

So the idea that they would still attack the rim but also shoot a lot of fucking threes helps with all of that. As evidenced by your point about Al shooting 3’s even tho he was having a poor shooting night, they played their game and created opportunities, instead of “taking what the opponent gave them.” And the results were awesome.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Only six turnovers for the C's. That's a formula for success.

Three of those were offensive fouls (or was it 4?)

 

[bigq]

Last night I switched from the low quality internet streams to the NBA.com one. I had been avoiding this for the playoffs because the best you can do is the mosaic view, which can be hard to follow.

However, they had two cameras trained on Tatum/Embiid and you could really see what those guys bring especially off ball. Tatum on a superficially bad night running screens everywhere, dragging one, sometimes two defenders with him. He rarely stopped moving, and Philly had to pay attention to him. Embiid parked in the paint, allowing the Celtics to bunch up in there. He didn’t set many screens, either. He was moving around on defense okay, though. Maybe he just feels more comfortable there.

With respect to Embiid it seemed like he was moving at half speed for the most part. Maybe it was conditioning or discomfort with his knee brace but he rarely ran. Mostly he was jogging and although his big body clogs the paint and he had a handful of blocks he was somewhat of an offensive and defensive liability because everything with him was at jogging pace and he would not run. I’m not sure what we will see in the next game. Maybe he is easing back in after a couple of weeks off but it feels like if the Celtics continuously push the pace Embiid is at risk of continuing to be a liability when he is on the court.

 

[bigq]

As evidenced by your point about Al shooting 3’s even tho he was having a poor shooting night, they played their game and created opportunities, instead of “taking what the opponent gave them.” And the results were awesome.

Agree. Al’s looks from three were mostly wide open. I had no problem with him shooting them and he won’t continue to miss at the rate he did last night. If he can pull Embiid out to the three point line to defend that is to the Celtics advantage because Joel is moving slow however I think the 76ers were mostly playing zone last night and keeping Embiid in the paint.

 

[Strike4]

It's amazing to me that all this team has to do is not make dumb mistakes and play good defense and they can blow teams away like this. Al bricking 3's, not Tatum's night, Brogdan getting killed on defense - it's not like they were firing on all cylinders last night.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Tucker has made a career out of cheap shots. And they're not really no look, he sees them in his peripheral vision and flails his arm. The NBA could put a stop to it by suspending him every time he does it.

Those Tucker/Chris Paul AAU teams must have been fun to play against back in the day. Ouch. (Yes, they were Greensboro Gater teammates)

 

[joe dokes]

Agree. Al’s looks from three were mostly wide open. I had no problem with him shooting them and he won’t continue to miss at the rate he did last night. If he can pull Embiid out to the three point line to defend that is to the Celtics advantage because Joel is moving slow however I think the 76ers were mostly playing zone last night and keeping Embiid in the paint.

They were 20-51. That's not an insane percentage.

Once I saw Al and Smart keep shooting 3s, it was pretty clear that the Coach got in their ear about continuing to shoot 3s, as that opens things up, rather than giving up and driving. Both said as much after the game. I know Smart gets dragged here for shooting too much, but there was one interview where it was clear that he basically needed and got a pat on the ass from the boss and was told that shooting the open 3 is plan A. Even Horford conceded that he sort of had to be cajoled to continue regardless of his success, because that's how they open up the floor.

 

[bigq]

They were 20-51. That's not an insane percentage.

Once I saw Al and Smart keep shooting 3s, it was pretty clear that the Coach got in their ear about continuing to shoot 3s, as that opens things up, rather than giving up and driving. Both said as much after the game. I know Smart gets dragged here for shooting too much, but there was one interview where it was clear that he basically needed and got a pat on the ass from the boss and was told that shooting the open 3 is plan A. Even Horford conceded that he sort of had to be cajoled to continue regardless of his success, because that's how they open up the floor.

I can’t remember who said it on the broadcast last night that Mazzulla challenged the Celtics to shoot 50 threes last night. Mission accomplished.

 

[PedroKsBambino]

This is very important. We all want the Celtics to "attack the rim", but in game 1, Philly zoned up and then showed tons of bodies at the rim, which negates that if you're not willing to shoot 3s. It's weird to say that the Celtics need to jack it up more, but they definitely did need to, and clearly made it a focus to let open shots fly.

Interestingly, this was one of the big adjustments that Snyder made to get Atlanta back into the series: telling his guys to just let it rip from 3 with confidence, and play off of that. It felt like the Celtics had gotten in a pattern of thinking that they were supposed to be attacking the rim all the time, and it was making the offense stagnant and easier to defend.

Al's willingness to shoot, even when he was missing everything, really kept things opened up.

Yes, and for me those things together---you attack the rim so that you can either get a layup or kick it back for an open three (on the first pass, or after a ball rotation). That's a much stronger offense with a much higher % of great looks (whether in the paint or for three) than just rotating outside or doing quick pull-up threes. if you run the offense well, Philly will collapse some to prevent the layups and that will lead to the increased threes. That's what I saw last night---it wasn't "hey, just jack threes initially each trip" at all, and it shouldn't be. A lot of threes is a desired outcome from the offense overall, and how those are created/enabled is really important.

I definitely think for this offense you need to take the open looks, period. On average, they'll hit enough of them. And they'll get more of those open looks if they attack the rim and rotate the ball.

 

[lovegtm]

They were probably unlucky to hit "only" 40%, given how good those looks were. Really really high-quality shot generation.

 

[lovegtm]

Yes, and for me those things together---you attack the rim so that you can either get a layup or kick it back for an open three (on the first pass, or after a ball rotation). That's a much stronger offense with a much higher % of great looks (whether in the paint or for three) than just rotating outside or doing quick pull-up threes.

if you run the offense well, Philly will collapse some to prevent the layups and that will lead to the increased threes.

Yeah, in the 2nd half of game 1, Philly went to the gameplan of "any NBA team can stop any NBA team from getting to the rim, if they pack the paint enough and are willing to concede 3s." The Celtics took too long to adjust, and kept driving for awhile. Then, late in the game, they missed some really good looks, got unlucky with officiating, and made some dumb plays.

Playing the right way in game 2 ended the game by the 3rd quarter; no need for drama.

 

[TripleOT]

The first half layup line (20-25 from two) in Game 1 took the Celtics out of their typical offensive game plan, where they pile up a huge advantage from three (plus 14 from three on average in the regular season). It was still ok inside the arc in the second half, at 14-24, but bricklaying from three, 2-12, and fumble-itis, with 9 turnovers, got them in a one possession game, and Philly made all the necessary closing time plays for the win. You are not going to win a lot of games when the other team takes 14 more shots and makes seven more threes, unless you live at the line. The only reason the Celtics did not lose by double digits with that shot profile and turnovers was that they made a huge percentage of their two point shots, especially in the first half.


Mazzulla rightly understood that they needed to correct the shot profile. Embiid helped by making it tough sledding at the rim. The two main reasons why the Celtics can be defeated, assuming a decent defensive effort, are turnovers and frigidness from three. Even with the lack of shot volume from three in game one, if they made 4 of 12 instead of only 2, they win.

 

[RorschachsMask]

View: https://twitter.com/lissmx14/status/1654106213167124485?s=20

 

[benhogan]

Georges Niang guarding Jaylen Brown is Celtic porn

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcPzCKw2tW8

 

[Ed Hillel]

Jaylen’s, and really the entire team’s, defensive effort last night was inspiring. It was also very frustrating because it highlights how silly some of the Game 1-type lapses can be. If they consistently put forth this effort, and accept they’ll have a little less energy to score themselves, they have a very good shot at raising a banner. The issue is we’ve seen this before in the playoffs and keep coming back to it. Hopefully the Game 1 lapse has flicked a switch and they have built up enough wisdom from prior experience to keep the foot on the gas.

Lack of effort on D is one of the two significant flaws for the team. Solving this one is pretty easy. The other is the offense in the final 6 minutes of close games, which I don’t really have an answer for, but the team might be talented enough to win skating by on that front if the effort is there on D night after night.

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

Love that guy. He thinks every NBA game should be 16-12 when the clock expires.

 

[Auger34]

I have to make a mea culpa here because I think I was wrong. I have been critical of Mazzulla for not getting into the team and lighting them up. After watching the post game press conferences for him and Jaylen, I think Mazzulla got into them and challenged all of them to show some effort and pride on defense and it appears the results were outstanding.
Good on Joe and good on the team for taking it to heart

 

[Cellar-Door]

Love that guy. He thinks every NBA game should be 16-12 when the clock expires.

yeah, some of those were awful but I laughed at the one where Melton bangs with Smart for 5 seconds then gets a shoulder in the chest and gives up a contested floater and he complained that he "relaxed"

 

[TripleOT]

Boston held Philly to only 6 baskets in both 1st and 3rd quarters of Game 2. When executing their defense properly, Boston is a match up problem for Philly

 

[kieckeredinthehead]

Hopefully the Game 1 lapse has flicked a switch and they have built up enough wisdom from prior experience to keep the foot on the gas.

 

[RedOctober3829]

Was the foul trouble the sole reason for Tatum's struggles last night? 7 points on 1-for-7 shooting. Just hope he can bounce back on Friday.

The bigger story of struggles is Al Horford. 2-for-10 and 1-8 from 3. Hopefully, he can find his stroke soon.

 

[Devizier]

Was the foul trouble the sole reason for Tatum's struggles last night? 7 points on 1-for-7 shooting. Just hope he can bounce back on Friday.

Sixers were flashing doubles at times and he was definitely getting extra attention. Tatum made a lot of heads up plays though, just not shots/primary assists.

 

[TripleOT]

Was the foul trouble the sole reason for Tatum's struggles last night? 7 points on 1-for-7 shooting. Just hope he can bounce back on Friday.

Tatum didn’t seem to be as locked in as the rest of his teammates. He had some bad lapses on defense, like being non competitive against Maxey on a switch, and that ridiculous foul when he tried a rip through with his arm to get past an Embiid pick when in foul trouble.

 

[SteveF]

Having Smart guard Embiid and Brown on Harden was interesting from a PnR perspective. Grant on Embiid in that context also makes a lot of sense, since Harden doesn't have the speed any more to really blow by guys. He's more of a strength dude with his push-offs (legal as long as you don't extent the arm too far) these days, and Grant/Brown/Smart are all quite strong. Brown probably can't guard Embiid on a switch, but you're loading to Embiid anyway so he doesn't have to do it alone. Embiid is probably a bit warier of bodying Smart because of the charge-taking.

They loaded more rather than doubling, just shading towards Harden/Embid as needed, leaving themselves the option of recovering to shooters. And of course they got up into guys better and gave more effort on closeouts. I thought the Sixers shooters were fairly indecisive about whether to shoot the three because of those closeouts.

Celtics did a decent job with their pace. I remember the play where Embiid just drove past Horford and dunked and was impressed by how quickly White grabbed the ball and inbounded to Smart nearly instantly and Smart quickly got it in the front court, forcing Embiid to exert effort to get back in defensive position. Nothing came of it, but it's the right mindset.

 

[Auger34]

Was the foul trouble the sole reason for Tatum's struggles last night? 7 points on 1-for-7 shooting. Just hope he can bounce back on Friday.

The bigger story of struggles is Al Horford. 2-for-10 and 1-8 from 3. Hopefully, he can find his stroke soon.

Not sole but definitely the biggest. He had a bad 19 minutes and the foul trouble (plus the massive lead) didn’t allow him to right the ship. Champagne problems for sure.

I expect him to dominate Game 3.