The Boston Celtics collapsed in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at home to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night and missed an opportunity in the process, losing 119-115 on a night that Joel Embiid was deemed out with a knee injury.
It was evident the Celtics were lacking defensively right from the opening tip. James Harden was one step ahead of every Boston defender not named Marcus Smart, as he went on to record 45-points in 40 minutes on 57/50/100 shooting splits.
Furthermore, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris looked unstoppable in this game, combining for 44-points on 18-of-40, shooting 45 percent from the floor. The trio of Harden, Harris, and Maxey scored 99-points combined.
That’s just unacceptable.
What if Embiid played?
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla once again said the Celtics didn’t reach their margins, suggesting that 26 3-point attempts isn’t enough for his team to be successful.
“I don’t think 26 (3-point attempts) is a recipe of success for our team.”
The Celtics finished 10-of-26 from behind the arc, shooting 38.5 percent and unable to keep up with the 38 3’s Philly launched, making 17. The 21 point 3-point variance is an example of the metrics that Mazzulla is referring to.
Sure, allowing 44.7 percent from deep certainly didn’t help Boston overcome Philadelphia’s 3-point production, but that’s not why or how they lost the game.
What about the 16 turnovers? There needs to be more of an emphasis on the mental errors and the poor self inflicted situations they get themselves into.
Other noteworthy takeaways is Jaylen Brown only took three shots after the first quarter, finishing the night 8-of-10 shooting for 23-points. Al Horford had a pretty good game when he wasn’t defending Harden. He finished with 11 points, six rebounds, and three blocks.
Rob Williams was arguably the most impactful player for Boston, despite Jayson Tatum nearly having a 40-point triple-double. He finished with six points and seven rebounds, but it was his presence on the court that made all the difference. Whenever the C’s were in a jam offensively, they just threw it up for Rob to catch and score.
After the game, Mazzulla put the blame on himself, saying he didn’t do a good enough job at calling the right plays in certain moments.
“I got to be better. Certain play calling, getting out spacing right. That’s an area I can be better at.”
The Celtics look to bounce back on Wednesday when they host Game 2 of this series.
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