The Celtics Didn't Even Need Second Gear to Beat the 76ers in Game 1
Sometimes, Boston makes things look too easy
Last week, when we looked at the potential matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, it was clear that offense was always going to be Philly’s biggest challenge. After all, they ended the regular season ranked:
28th for accuracy at the rim
26th for accuracy in the short mid-range — think floater and push shot regions
9th for accuracy in long mid-range — free-throw line extended out to the three-point line
21st for accuracy on corner threes
22nd for accuracy on non-corner threes
23rd for threes overall
Put bluntly, the Sixers don’t really do anything well offensively.
Couple those offensive shortcomings with a matchup against a Boston Celtics team that thrives on defense, and Nick Nurse was working through a cookbook with none of the necessary ingredients.
The result was a sub-100 point loss to the Celtics in the opening game of the playoffs.
As Celtics fans, this was a welcome start to the postseason. Based on what we saw yesterday afternoon, this series is nothing more than a string of tune-up games ahead of tougher tests to come.
“This one, you know, it sucks; we didn’t expect this at all, but we just have to play better,” Tyrese Maxey said during his postgame news conference. '“You know, Paul (Paul George) said something that kind of registered in my mind, like they didn’t feel like it was a playoff game. We did, but they didn’t. You know what I’m saying? They just did us easy. I feel like it was an easy game, and that’s not okay, like we got to make them more uncomfortable.”
That’s how badly the Celtics whooped Philly yesterday.
Even their own veterans noted the ease with which Boston operated.
A large part of that was their ability to shut down offensive possessions with staggering consistency.
More importantly, the Celtics forced Philly to play their brand of basketball. Nurse’s team went 4-of-23 from deep. And while the work Boston did guarding the perimeter is a story in itself, the bigger success was limiting the Sixers to just 27% of their offense from deep — an 8.6% drop from their regular-season average.
The problem that Philly ran into was that without hitting their threes, Boston’s defense had no reason to adjust its defensive coverage. Neemias Queta, Nikola Vucevic and Luka Garza all took turns in drop coverage. Occasionally, they would move up to the level of the screen — but given the threat Philly poses when getting downhill, drop defense seemed like the better bet.
Unfortunately for the Sixers, their high rim frequency disappeared in this game, and their finishing around the cup was abysmal. Boston, once again, deserves credit for the work it did in taking away the restricted area and the easy buckets that often come with it.
Boston’s defense has left the Sixers with a sizeable puzzle to try and solve.
“We’re a team, so we can get each other driving, kicking, finding open shots,” Kelly Oubre Jr. said of how the Sixers need to adjust in game 2, during his postgame news conference. “Hit flow, get them off the ball a little bit. Maybe shift the defense and just find a wide-open, easy look right? So I think that’s a start.”
There's no better sign that you totally rocked a team than when two of the veteran guys on the roster are discussing adjustments and harsh realities just minutes after a game.
While the Sixers were struggling to find any form of success on offense, the Celtics were finding their rhythm, while also building toward shifting gears, which may not be necessary until the second round, judging by what we saw yesterday.
One key aspect I liked was seeing Vucevic working in the short-roll. He had a couple of nice moments when receiving a pass up high before kicking it out. Ok, I get that those moments are fleeting, but the shot quality those moments can generate is key to a functional offense, especially against playoff-level half-court defenses.
Short roll creation has been an underutilized area this season, following the departures of Luke Kornet and Al Horford.
Just look at this play for an example.
Here’s another play where Vucevic offered some short-roll creation.
Ideally, the Celtics can find a few extra possessions per game to lean into some short-roll creation. That doesn’t necessarily mean they lean in Vucevic. I’d like to see some more inverted PnR as the series goes on — that was a key variable Joe Mazzulla leaned on during 2024, and with the limitations on Philly’s big men, it could be something to explore in search of additional ways to generate advantages.
Still, let’s credit Vucevic for his unselfishness when running these short-roll actions.
“We’re not asking him to score, we’re asking him to play basketball,” Mazzulla said in his postgame news conference.
Of course, we can’t avoid mentioning the impact that Jayson Tatum had on this game. He was arguably the Celtics' best performer on the night — honorable mention for Jaylen Brown, too; his burst and success on drives were key.
Nevertheless, Tatum’s scoring, passing, rebounding and overall gravity were key factors in how the Celtics set things up on both sides of the floor. It’s wild to think we’re a month and change removed from his first game back, and now, he’s already operating at a near All-NBA level. The scary part is, he’s only just getting out of second gear!
“I’m still rehabbing. I’m still returning,” Tatum told the media after the game. “I mean, I’ve returned to play obviously, but, you know, I still attack rehab every single day, except for when we have off days. So obviously, that’s the main difference. And still just trying to ramp up, I got to play 16 games. So for me, it’s all about conditioning and you know, obviously it’s still attacking rehab every single day to feel better and feel stronger and more confident, things I just didn’t have to focus on in the past.”
If this is Tatum still finding his feet, the entire NBA is in serious trouble...
Looking ahead, game two is on Tuesday, April 21. Once again, the Sixers will visit the TD Garden. Boston will undoubtedly look to seize control of this series with a second straight win. If the defense can hold strong and continue limiting Philly to under 100 points, a second win should be in the bag, and a sweep isn't out of the question.
I’m sticking with my Celtics in 5 prediction, though. Philly is good enough to steal one game if Maxey, VJ Edgecombe or George go off.