76ers an excessive amount of for Celtics to deal with in Recreation 7: 6 takeaways

Boston Celtics

Embiid outmatched Boston within the paint as soon as once more, ending Saturday’s recreation with 34 factors.

The Celtics had a number of alternatives to increase their season in a wild Recreation 7 towards the 76ers on Saturday, however Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have been an excessive amount of for the third straight recreation, and the Celtics bowed out in a 109-100 loss. 

Listed below are the takeaways. 

The Celtics have been with out Jayson Tatum

Many Celtics followers have been already braced for the worst when Jayson Tatum was dominated out for Recreation 7 with left knee stiffness. 

Mazzulla stated earlier than the sport that Tatum was day-to-day, so presumably, the Celtics would have been attempting to stroll a effective line between attempting to win video games and hold their franchise participant wholesome if they’d superior (so should you’re in search of a silver lining to the season ending sooner than anticipated, that’s a small one). 

However after dropping two straight video games to the Sixers, one factor appeared abundantly clear: This was not a Celtics crew able to successful a championship, and pushing Tatum may have had actually disastrous penalties. Knee soreness is regarding. Knee soreness within the leg that has been compensating for a torn Achilles over the past month of the NBA season isn’t one thing to disregard.

Tatum and the Celtics knew the stakes. They knew they have been on the snapping point. They knew how shaky the remainder of the East appears to be like at current and the way believable a Finals run would look in a traditional yr. They knew that sitting Tatum made it extra doubtless than not that they have been pulling the plug on their very own season. 

You may wager each greenback in your checking account that they didn’t make that call flippantly, which suggests you too can wager each greenback in your 401k that it was the fitting choice for each the participant and the franchise. 

The beginning lineup was a wild announcement

The absence of Tatum was an earthquake, and the aftershock was practically as robust: Joe Mazzulla opted to begin Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr.

The Harper information was eye-catching, nevertheless it wasn’t as shocking as one would possibly suppose. Mazzulla wished to maintain his rotation intact with Payton Pritchard as the primary participant off the bench, and Harper Jr. slotted in for Tatum. 

Extra noteworthy, maybe, was Garza rather than Neemias Queta and Nikola Vucevic, the latter of whom spent Recreation 7 utterly faraway from the rotation, which could have been a bit too late. Vucevic couldn’t do something towards Embiid within the earlier three contests, his 3-pointers weren’t falling, and he was goal apply for the Sixers’ guards in drop pick-and-roll protection. 

Nonetheless, Garza additionally changed Queta, who struggled mightily all sequence to remain out of foul bother and on the ground. 

Garza, nevertheless, additionally struggled with foul bother, and Queta got here in for him … solely to wrestle as soon as once more with foul bother. 

Mazzulla could have hoped to maintain Queta out of foul bother longer, or he could have merely wished to see if the Celtics may get out to a lead by pick-and-popping Embiid with Garza. 

In both case, Embiid was a large downside as soon as once more, and the Celtics merely didn’t have the bigs to cope with him, irrespective of how they began or how they rotated. 

“It was a pair issues we noticed tactically we wished to check out,” Mazzulla stated. “Clearly, give the sequence a bit little bit of a unique really feel and make the most of the roster that we had, and make the most of the fellows that may impression performs and whatnot.”

The Sixers are going to be a tricky out

Presumably, few readers right here need to learn intensive writing concerning the Sixers, however we must always acknowledge that this sequence stated much more about them than it did concerning the Celtics. 

Joel Embiid has been a lot maligned in Boston, and he has deserved numerous the criticism, however after costing the Sixers Recreation 4 nearly single-handedly, he was totally dominant in Video games 5, 6 and seven. To his huge credit score, he performed exactly the model of basketball the Sixers wanted — drawing doubles and dishing, limiting his jumpers, and bruising defenders across the rim. On Saturday, he flopped in ways in which might need made some Celtics followers undergo corollary occasions, however he additionally gutted via two brutal hits on to his left knee and confirmed a stage of willpower that Boston followers haven’t seen from him at any level beforehand in any postseason assembly. He completed with 34 factors, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists.

“What modified on this sequence was Joel Embiid got here again, they usually’re a very completely different crew,” Mazzulla stated. “That’s what modified within the sequence.”

Maxey, in the meantime, burned the Celtics for a hyper-efficient 30 factors on 11-for-18 capturing with 11 rebounds and 7 assists. He has totally ascended to celebrity standing, and finest needs to the Knicks in attempting to gradual him down within the subsequent sequence. 

This isn’t the identical Sixers crew that we’ve seen in earlier years. After Embiid, Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Paul George, the roster appears to be like prime heavy, however Embiid’s worst tendencies are balanced out by Maxey’s finest ones, which permits him to place a higher emphasis on his personal strengths. 

“Give credit score to Nick Nurse. Give credit score to Philadelphia. They acquired higher,” Brown stated. “They’ve gotten higher all through this sequence. They’re taking part in good basketball proper now. Defensively, I believed they have been very, very sound. I give credit score to Philadelphia.”

The pre-Tatum rotation gave the Celtics an opportunity

The odd beginning lineup didn’t actually do its job — the Celtics have been down 32-19 after the primary quarter and have been exhibiting few indicators of life. 

However Jaylen Brown, who began very poorly, got here roaring again to life. He completed with 33 factors on 12-for-27 capturing, 9 rebounds and 4 assists with Tatum out. Defensively, he matched up 1-on-1 with Embiid a number of instances with combined success, however he gave the Celtics an opportunity late.

Derrick White began to shake off a tricky sequence, however he cooled off once more within the second half and ended up with 26 factors on 26 photographs, making simply 5 of his 16 3-point makes an attempt. 

Regardless of his foul bother, Queta scored 17 factors and grabbed 12 rebounds. He was +9 in a recreation the Celtics misplaced by 9, which threw his foul bother into stark aid. 

“It’s numerous various things that may get you into foul bother, and I’ve acquired to begin myself and be higher, initially,” Queta stated. “After that, it’s simply being constant. 

“I’ve proven flashes of the place I could be with out fouling and it’s nearly being in line with what I do to try this.”

The Celtics went down by double digits a number of instances, however they rallied again, they usually had numerous probabilities to tie or take the lead within the fourth, however their 3-point capturing failed them as soon as once more — they completed 13-for-49 (26.5 %), they usually missed each area objective within the closing 5 minutes save for a meaningless layup by Pritchard.

Brown stated he wished the Celtics would have gone to their expanded regular-season rotation earlier.

“I want we performed that fashion and trusted that fashion extra, even all through the playoffs, even via wins and thru losses,” Brown stated. “Clearly it’s not at all times the simplest choice, however I want that fashion for our crew was how we empowered the remainder of our group, and also you noticed tonight how all people got here out they usually performed their tail off. 

“I want we trusted that extra.”

Hugo González modified the power

González was an ideal instance — he was out of the rotation for all the sequence previous to Recreation 7, however Mazzulla discovered himself dealing with an emergency and broke the glass. 

The Celtics wanted his power badly — trailing by 13 after the primary quarter, they regarded dispirited and drained. The 20-year-old remedied the latter subject immediately, flying everywhere in the flooring and creating additional alternatives along with his rebounding, and that frenetic power appeared to treatment the previous as properly. 

González made loads of errors, and he missed all three of his 3-point makes an attempt (and each of his free throws), however he was a part of the explanation the Celtics acquired again within the recreation.

What’s subsequent

Ordinarily, we use this closing takeaway as an area to spotlight the Celtics’ subsequent recreation, and another notable occasions that is likely to be on the horizon. 

Now, nevertheless, “what’s subsequent” is a reasonably sophisticated query for the Celtics. 

On the one hand, this crew regarded like a contender within the common season. Brown will doubtless make the All-NBA First Staff. Tatum regarded more healthy than anybody may have hoped (at the least till Saturday). Queta regarded like a no brainer starter. Even gamers like Baylor Scheierman and González confirmed actually encouraging flashes. Brad Stevens would possibly understandably need to take into account shoring up some holes across the edges and giving this core one other shot subsequent yr based mostly on the common season.

However, the Celtics aren’t a franchise that celebrates regular-season wins. 

“While you don’t win a championship for the Celtics, there’s at all times going to be a stage of, ‘we now have to do higher,’” Mazzulla stated. 

The issues are apparent. The Celtics misplaced each recreation on this sequence after they shot beneath 30 % from three, they usually shot sub-30 4 instances. Mazzulla defended the apply, noting that the Celtics make use of numerous 3-point shooters.

“We exit and get 5 huge males that may publish, we’ll publish it each single time,” he quipped in response to a query about whether or not the Celtics will re-evaluate their taking part in fashion. 

That, nevertheless, is among the greatest points the Celtics have: They make use of two nice gamers in Brown and Tatum, however to compete on the stage they need to obtain, they nonetheless have to go all out attempt to win the margins (offensive rebounding, turnovers), they usually nonetheless have to make a ton of 3-point photographs to win. 

“We acquired beauty. If we hit them, then no person says something,” Pritchard stated. “It’s the top of the story. We’ve simply acquired to make them. You win a championship, you make photographs.”

The Celtics have the power to enhance on the margins — the complete mid-level exception may land them an improve at heart, as an illustration — or they may put a line within the water on a few of the market’s greater fish. Giannis Antetokounmpo is sort of actually going to maneuver on. The Nuggets are in turmoil. Anthony Davis is likely to be out there for a discount.

All of that, nevertheless, is much sooner or later. For now, this crew is targeted on licking its wounds far sooner than anybody anticipated or wished.

“Man, I’m so grateful to be with this group,” Brown stated. “This group was superior. I had a enjoyable yr. That is most likely one in every of my most enjoyable years taking part in basketball.”