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The Boston Celtics maintained their perfect home record in the 2018 Playoffs with a win in the first game of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. They made short work of a Sixers team coming off 20 wins in its last 21 games (including matches from the regular season), holding them to their lowest points total in the postseason so far.
Coach Brad Stevens proved that he's the best coach in the league several times over in this game. The defensive schemes the Celtics laid out to contain the 76ers' offense were as good as one could expect a team as hobbled as them to put up. Rookie Semi Ojeleye and 4th-string point guard Shane Larkin saw significant game time, even as Jaylen Brown sat the game out with a hamstring strain.
The following are the 5 biggest talking points from the game:
#5 The Sixers were way below-par from 3-point territory
Given their red-hot shooting from 3-point territory in the 5-game series they played against the Heat, this game was an outlier for the Philadelphia 76ers. They connected on just 5-of-26 attempts from long range - which was somewhat understandable given that the Celtics were the best team at defending the 3-ball through the course of the regular season.
Yet, a percentage of 19% is way below-par by any standards, as the likes of Covington, Redick, and Saric simply failed to get any kind of jump shooting rhythm going. Covington finished 0-of-4 from downtown, as did Saric. The duo combined to score only 15 in 60 minutes of game-time, while Redick went a below-par 2-of-7 from behind the arc.
Ersan Ilyasova went 0-of-3, while the Sixers' most efficient players from behind the line were Marco Belinelli (1-of-2) and, surprisingly, Joel Embiid (2-of-5).
#4 Simmons faces his first real test, and does not fare that well
The Young King had his first off-game in the playoffs this year. Despite scoring 18 points, collecting 7 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists and getting 2 steals, Simmons looked visibly discomfited by the Celtics' brand of on-ball defense. The Rookie of the Year contender was guarded by Al Horford on most possessions and was made to work for nearly every point that he procured for the Sixers.
The in-the-face but fundamentally sound defense played by the Celtics on Simmons, who sagged off him given his nonexistent jump shot, took its toll on the Sixers offense, which put up its worst shooting performance of the postseason thus far. Simmons was also below-par from the charity stripe, going only 6-of-11 on free throws. With a +/- of -21 (the worst of any starter on the floor), Simmons definitely looked off target.
To top it all off, the Celtics forced Simmons into committing 7 turnovers, which is his highest number in the postseason thus far. The rookie year point guard needs to get back next game with a couple of adjustments added to his game to have a greater impact.
#3 Jayson Tatum had a game to remember
While Tatum did have 3-4 huge performances in the Celtics' first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, he raised it up several notches to net 28 points today - becoming the first Celtics rookie since Larry Bird to do so.
In a game when the Celtics sorely need its already depleted wing rotation to step up given Jaylen Brown's hamstring troubles, Tatum forced the issue right from the off. He scored in a number of different ways, getting his 28-point-haul off just 16 field goal attempts. He shot 12 free throws as well, making an impressive 11 of them - including a couple of 3-free-throw sets.
He was relentless in his attempts to drive to the basket, scoring off a couple of extremely tough layup opportunities while being double-teamed. Tatum had a +/- of +18, which was the highest for any player through the game. His defense on Redick, and later on Belinelli, forced the Sixers to shoot contested shots.
#2 Terry Rozier continues to sparkle
Eric Bledsoe might still be having nightmares of the cruel ankle-breaker Rozier put on him in Game 1 of Round 1, but Scary Terry is a man focused on the moment. He came out with a gameplan tailored to suit his strengths, and he taught Ben Simmons a thing or two on the night with some amazing deceptions en route to putting up a 29 point, 8 rebound, 6 assists, 2 steals, a performance that drives his free agent stock up even further.
The 3rd year point guard out of Louisville stamped his authority on the game in several ways, but it was his lights-out shooting that stood out the most on the night. Terry went to full-on Steph mode, converting a whopping 7 out of 9 three-pointers and taking just 18 shots to reach 29 points.
If Rozier continues in the same vein in this series, the Sixers will have a real fight on their hands trying to contain this two-way stud.
#1 Battle of the All-Star bigs does not disappoint
One of the most lip-smacking matchups remaining in the playoffs is the battle for interior dominance between 2 All-Star frontcourt players in Horford and Embiid. Both of them brought their A-game to the table on the night and were a huge part of whatever their teams got right in the game.
Embiid led all scorers with 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field, 2-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc and 5-of-6 from the line. His defensive awareness and ability to contest layups caused huge problems for the likes of Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris. Embiid also snagged 13 rebounds and dished out 5 dimes to round out a return to form for the Cameroonian, and he'll be disappointed that he didn't get enough support from his team.
The big from the Dominican Republic, on the other hand, will have no such complaints from his teammates. Al Horford continued in this game where he left off in game 7 of the first round series against the Bucks and finished with 26 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. He played some lockdown defense on both Simmons and Embiid and looked every bit equal to that daunting task.
This matchup promises to bring more joy to fans in coming games.
Guess the Lakers players!
