BOSTON CELTICS (3-3) at PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (3-3)
Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub
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Joel Embiid – PROBABLE (post appendectomy surgery recovery)
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Tyrese Maxey – AVAILABLE (right finger tendon strain – splint)
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Paul George – PROBABLE – illness
Preview: This is it. Win or go home. A Boston Celtics win earns them a date with the New York Knicks in the second round. A loss, and they’re beginning offseason prep for next season.
Boston has dropped two straight games, and as a result, the Philadelphia 76ers have all the momentum in the world. It’s up to Boston to break it.
Should Jayson Tatum be downgraded to out — he’s listed as questionable with left knee stiffness and was seen jogging around the court trying to get loose at the end of Game 6 — the Celtics’ tall task becomes even taller.
But Tatum or no Tatum, Boston needs to come to play.
Tale of the tape: Game 6 was a disaster. A complete and utter meltdown by the Celtics.
Boston abandoned the principles that carried them to a 56-win regular season campaign, instead choosing to focus on isolation basketball and a lack of off-ball movement.
Jaylen Brown was loose with the ball, Tatum wasn’t aggressive enough, and the big-man rotation was a mess (yet again).
The second half of Game 5 wasn’t much better. In fact, the Celtics have failed to score at least 15 points in two of their last five quarters. They put up 11 in the fourth quarter of Game 5 and 12 in the third quarter of Game 6.
In today’s NBA, in particular, offense is crucial, and the Celtics haven’t been able to generate much.
Game 7 keys: There was a glimmer of hope at the end of Game 6. A small, fleeting moment when Boston looked like an older, more successful version of itself.
The fourth quarter, when Joe Mazzulla put in the bench unit. Payton Pritchard, Ron Harper Jr., Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and Luka Garza immediately went on an 11-0 run once they checked in. Boston even won the final frame.
This season, the Celtics have made their money with hustle, extra-effort plays, and constant movement (on and off the ball). All of those things have somehow escaped them for the last six quarters.
If Mazzulla and the Celtics want to win Game 7, they need to get back to what has worked. More Scheierman. More Walsh. More Harper, More Garza. More of the guys who spearheaded their success this year, night in and night out.
Without them, this version of the team would never have existed. And without them, Game 7 may just be a repeat of Game 6.
One fun play: Here is an example of how the starters mimic the bench unit’s success in the fourth quarter of Game 6.
Look at all the movement. The intentionality. The screening.
The Derrick White-Tatum pick-and-roll doesn’t pan out, so White quickly kicks it back to the top of the key. Tatum gets a screen from Neemias Queta, who immediately keeps moving and sets another one for White.
Since Joel Embiid gets so occupied with stopping Tatum’s drive, no one is there to help VJ Edgecombe when Queta springs White free for an open triple.
The key to Boston generating quality shots is proper execution and quick decision-making. That’s what the bench did in the fourth quarter on Thursday night. That’s what White, Tatum, and Queta showed off here.
That’s how the Celtics need to play in Game 7.
