Despite what the box score may say, the Celtics’ 121-87 Game 2 win over the 76ers was based on strategy and the defensive game plan of coach Joe Mazzulla. Boston realized it could capitalize on Joel Embiid coming back without being 100%, and did so by forcing Embiid to run in transition to wear down his stamina.
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Malcolm Brodgdon opened up about the team’s plan to test Embiid, saying, “He’s their focal point, we know that, but we didn’t know if he was going to be full speed or in shape, because he took so many days off. So we wanted to run and see where he’d be at and I thought we did a pretty good job of that, and we’ll see how he bounces back next game.”
Embiid finished the game with 15 points compared to his season average of 33.1 points per game. Mazzulla’s game plan of making Embiid tired from not being able to maintain his endurance due to his lingering injury was smart and resulted in cutting Embiid’s points in half.
The Celtics also did a better job against James Harden, who was held to just 12 points after scoring 45 in Game 1, shooting 2-of-14 from the field, and 0-for-6 from behind the arc. Tobias Harris was the Sixers’ leading scorer with only 16 points.
Boston’s defensive game plan was so strong that it resulted in the second-lowest-scoring output all season from the 76ers with 87 points, shooting 39.2% from the field and 20% from behind the arc.
The Celtics were also dominant as a team offensively, shooting 46.7% from the field and 39.2% from three. They shot the same percentage from three as the Sixers did from the field.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics in points, scoring a respectable 25, with 13 of those points coming in the first quarter. Brown also contributed with four assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
Malcolm Brogdon scored 23 off the bench and was unguardable for the majority of the third quarter. He shot 7-of-15 from the field and 6-of-10 from behind the arc. Brogdon also had six rebounds, two assists, and one block.
Marcus Smart and Derrick White were tied at third in scoring for the Celtics with 15 points each.
The craziest thing about this win was the fact that Jayson Tatum only scored seven points and played a mere 19 minutes. Tatum got into foul trouble early on in the game and had to be taken out of the game multiple times to avoid the risk of him fouling out. By the time he was ready to get back in the game, the Celtics had a 28-point lead going into the fourth quarter, so there was no reason to put him back in the game and have him risk getting injured.
Another impressive element of the game was the Celtics being able to also adjust their offense to not turn over the ball. The Celtics had only six turnovers in Game 2 in comparison to 16 in Game 1.
If the Celtics continue to play great fundamental basketball all around, they should be back on track and able to win this series. The path looks easier than last year and this team is better than it was last year, with more depth, and an improved game from Tatum and Brown. If the Celtics are consistent, the sky is the limit for this team.
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