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Celtics Address Letting Guard Down in Game 1 Loss to Sixers Team Missing Joel Embiid
The perplexing losses have become predictable for the Celtics. From their inability to efficiently close out series during last year's Finals run to often playing down to competition .500 or worse this regular season and losing Game 5 to the Hawks on the TD Garden parquet with Dejounte Murray suspended, Boston routinely fails to capitalize on opportunities like the one it had on Monday.
Forced to downsize due to the absence of Joel Embiid, their best player and star center, the Sixers predictably played faster and spread the floor. And when the hosts sent a second defender at James Harden, he found the open shooter, who capitalized on a clean look, exemplified by De'Anthony Melton contributing 17 points off the bench and making 5/6 threes.
But when Boston let Harden go one-on-one, he made the Celtics pay for that choice, exemplified by him burying a three over Al Horford, giving Philadelphia a 117-115 edge with less than ten seconds left.
The defending Eastern Conference champions have struggled defensively for most of the playoffs. They're surrendering 116.3 points per contest. That and they're defensive rating rank last among the teams left in the postseason.
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When asked after the game if his team let its guard down with Embiid inactive, Jayson Tatum, who finished with 39 points and 11 rebounds, team-highs, he paired with five assists, a steal, and a block, expressed the following.
"Maybe so. Give the other guys credit. Harden had 45. Melton hit five threes. Those other guys stepped up and played big and knocked down shots."
Offensively, Boston scored less than 30 points in each of the final three frames. At the root of that was the Sixers' zone defense persuading the Celtics to operate at a slower tempo, which often backfires on them -- it's at the center of them committing 16 turnovers and giving up 20 points off those giveaways -- and minimizing the damage inflicted from beyond the arc.
Boston attempted 12 fewer threes than Philadelphia and made seven less. That typically means a loss for the team on the wrong end of the battle behind the arc.
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Afterward, in the locker room, Jaylen Brown, who registered 23 points, six rebounds, and four assists, responded multiple times to questions about whether Embiid's absence dimmed the Celtics' competitive fire by stating, "They had a great game, and we had a mediocre game."
Malcolm Brogdon, who chipped in 20 points off the bench, highlighted how a star's absence sometimes leads to role players being more aggressive about looking for and launching shots, as was the case with Philadelphia Monday night.
"I think in a lot of ways when Embiid doesn't play, everybody else is empowered, everybody else has the green light, and guys are gonna step up. And I thought that's what happened tonight, and I think we expected that, guys to step up, but we still struggled with it," adding, "I think (Sixers' head coach) Doc (Rivers) has empowered all those guys, all the role players to step up, to shoot the ball when they're open, to be aggressive, (and) to make plays, so we've got to understand that."
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And on the heels of saying he isn't concerned after losing home-court advantage to a Sixers team that didn't have their best player, Brogdon delivered the following message.
"I do have a level of, I guess, awareness, and we've got to be ready, we've got to come out ready, we've got to come out and send a message next game. I really think that's the key."
Further Reading
Jaylen Brown Discusses Celtics and Sixers Rivalry, Bill Russell's Legacy
Here's What We Know About the Celtics-Sixers Second-Round Schedule
