The primary minutes of Sport 2 seemed lots like Sport 1, because the Celtics uncovered the Sixers’ protection with sensible ball motion and a fierce offense. As at all times, they focused the weakest defender and used the strengths of the Jays to get to the rim and break the defensive shell.
Out of the 11 made subject objectives within the first quarter, 8 had been assisted. Because the Celtics stored on the lookout for mismatches, the Sixers despatched assist, and Jayson Tatum uncovered it along with his court docket imaginative and prescient. Notice additionally on this play the sensible display from Neemias Queta, which makes the closeout on Sam Hauser nearly unattainable.
What actually stood out within the first quarter was the Celtics’ willingness to play quick and never give the Sixers time to set their protection. However that’s method simpler when the Sixers are lacking a whole lot of their threes—which, as we’ll see, wasn’t the case for the remainder of the sport.
The distinction in comparison with the beginning of the sport was apparent, and the play-by-play confirmed it nicely. Boston weren’t capable of pressure misses from the Sixers, and the rebounding wasn’t as elite because it was within the first minutes. Then, the offense slowed down, and the Sixers had been ready to remove the paint from Boston.
Within the final quarter, the Celtics took solely three pictures within the paint. They made all of them, however the issue got here from outdoors capturing. Within the final 12 minutes, their jump-shot effectivity dropped, with solely two makes on 19 makes an attempt.
However the Celtics not solely didn’t shoot within the paint, additionally they weren’t capable of generate paint touches that would create attractiveness. On this miss from Derrick White, it’s fairly clear that the Celtics are attempting to create a mismatch, however PG understands that that is bait to offer house to White, and he closes out fairly nicely.
The offense being static and gradual within the final quarter can also be as a result of incapacity to make stops on protection. The Sixers went loopy from three and reminded us of earlier Sport 2s…
#3 – The Sport 2 outdated demons
Again in 2024, the Celtics dominated the Warmth in a five-game sequence. However, like final evening, the primary spherical was tied after two video games, because the Miami shooters went loopy from deep whereas Boston struggled offensively towards the zone.
The Sixers didn’t use the identical zone protection strategy because the Warmth final evening, however the capturing undoubtedly helped them steal this recreation from the Celtics. Might this be an indication? If the Celtics find yourself beating the Sixers 4–1, this may resonate even louder, suggesting that this 2026 workforce could possibly be following the trail of the 2024 workforce.
#4 – Couldn’t capitalize on rebounding
Getting into the sequence, the Celtics knew they might depend on offensive rebounding when pictures weren’t falling. With terrible scoring effectivity final evening (beneath 40% FG), the Celtics had been aggressive on the offensive boards and picked up 18 offensive rebounds.
However they couldn’t profit from it.
Per cleaningtheglass.com, the Celtics scored solely 0.8 factors per possession on putback conditions, far beneath their season common (1.16). On 18 offensive rebounds, this hole creates a giant distinction. The Celtics scored round 14 factors on putbacks when it ought to have been greater than 20.
In shut video games like this, particularly when pictures don’t fall, you should be extra environment friendly on second probabilities.
#5 – Sixers higher hedge protection
So what modified between the 2 video games? It was extra about execution than tactical adjustments from the Sixers. They stored taking part in that hedge protection on the pick-and-roll to use strain and pressure the ball out of the ball handler’s palms, however they had been extra disciplined.
The third defender was rather more energetic within the passing lanes to disrupt actions, and there was extra presence within the paint. Total, the Celtics had extra issues getting inside towards this improved execution.
Nonetheless, this protection additionally creates a whole lot of open pictures that the Celtics weren’t capable of convert final evening. If the Sixers hold going with that defensive precept, the Celtics nonetheless have a great likelihood to take the following recreation simply by making the pictures they often make.
#6 – Boston drop protection
On the opposite finish, the Sixers punished the Celtics’ drop protection with sensible empty pick-and-rolls to take away potential assist and discover good spots for his or her ball handlers. The quickness and contact of each Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe had been onerous to cope with.
Drop protection is a superb strategy to remove the rim, however the Sixers’ pull-up skill is likely to be too robust to depend on it repeatedly. On prime of that, they did a great job putting shooters one move away from the motion to punish the Celtics’ stunts.
Nonetheless, it’s value noting that the drop protection was nonetheless very environment friendly at defending the rim, with one of many lowest rim frequencies and efficiencies of the season for the Sixers. Nonetheless, rim strain wasn’t the most important difficulty.
#7 – Couldn’t cope with Maxey pull-ups
The Celtics had been capable of minimize it to a two-point recreation, however that is when Maxey actually raised his degree and put the sport away for the Sixers. As we noticed, the drop protection provides him house for pull-ups.
The younger guard is used to those conditions, with greater than 5 makes an attempt per recreation at 34% effectivity—and it confirmed final evening. Right here, he tricked White into the display, rejected it, and located house to drag up in rhythm.
Then, on the following play, Maxey makes use of his pace to get into the motion rapidly earlier than the protection is about. Due to that, White is just too far to contest the pull-up, and Maxey creates a pocket to shoot.
Then, Maxey confirmed his enhancements as a playmaker. He tricked Derrick White and Nikola Vucevic into pondering he was going proper for an additional pull-up. However this time, he rejected the display once more and drove into a very open paint.
Within the clutch, Maxey did what the Celtics couldn’t: get into the paint and make threes.
The Sixers additionally used PG as a creator, and this could possibly be one other drawback for the Celtics to resolve. To begin the sport, he received a few post-up alternatives to get going from mid-range.
As soon as Payton Pritchard entered the sport, he turned a transparent goal within the submit, because the Celtics guard can’t maintain his floor towards such a giant wing. This forces rotations and creates house for the Sixers.
It will likely be attention-grabbing to see how the defensive strategy evolves and who will get extra minutes over the following few video games—particularly Baylor Scheierman.
It’s fairly stunning to see solely 11 minutes for Scheierman, contemplating what he can deliver. He struggled a bit towards VJ Edgecombe navigating screens, however so did Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard. Not like them, nevertheless, he’s much less more likely to be focused as a mismatch whereas nonetheless offering spacing and connectivity.
With the short guards and large wings the Sixers have, I want to see extra of him on the ground, each for what he brings offensively and defensively.
#10 – Beat on the turnovers
We talked about earlier than the sequence that this Sixers workforce was among the best within the league at limiting turnovers whereas additionally being among the many elite in defensive playmaking. We noticed it final evening, as they pressured 4 extra turnovers, and these additional possessions helped prolong the hole over the course of the sport.
The Celtics must be extra disciplined offensively so the Sixers can’t flip protection into offense and generate simple baskets.
