The Rich Keefe Show reacts to Celtics' Game 6 win over Philly
The Boston Celtics avoided elimination Thursday night with their 95-86 Game 6 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. It was far from Boston’s best game offensively, as they finished the night with just 95 points and turned the ball over 17 (!) times, which resulted in 18 points for the 76ers. The Celtics’ 95 points are their fewest in a game this postseason, and marks the first time this postseason they were held under 100 points.
Boston was able to keep themselves in the game due to their play on the defensive end of the floor, and it all started with a key lineup change prior to the game. Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics turned back to the double-big lineup with both Al Horford and Robert Williams on the floor together. Entering Game 6, Williams and Horford had only played seven minutes on the floor together this series, but they made their impact on the game from the start.
The Celtics’ defensive play had dropped off a bit in Games 4 and 5, but turning to the double-big lineup gave them the spark they needed, especially early on. Horford and Williams completely took away the interior from Philadelphia, who shot just 16-of-39 (41%) in the paint, and the duo recorded three combined blocks.
Jayson Tatum struggled for a vast majority of the night in Game 6, as he fell victim to yet another slow start, finishing the first half shooting 0-for-10. Tatum is now shooting 4-for-30 (13.3%) across his last three first halves, and he’s also missed his last 19 consecutive shots in the first quarter. Though Tatum did struggle to score in the first half, his impact was still felt as he finished with first-half game-highs in both rebounds (7) and assists (6).
With Tatum struggling, Boston needed scorers to step up, which is where one of their biggest strengths came into play, their depth at the guard position. Led by Marcus Smart, who finished the game with a team-high 22 points on 8-of-15 (53.3%) shooting and seven assists, which was also a team high, Boston’s guard trio of Smart, Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White carried the load for Boston offensively. The trio combined for 47 points on 17-of-32 (53.1%) shooting, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
It was Boston’s defense along with the play of their guards that guided them to a seven-point halftime lead, before Boston laid another egg in the third quarter. For whatever reason, Boston has had a tough time getting out to good starts in the second half, and it happened again in Game 6.
Boston shot just 7-of-19 (36.8%) from the floor in the third quarter, including a putrid 1-of-7 (14.3%) from deep; they also committed five turnovers. The 76ers took advantage of Boston’s slow second-half start, outscoring the Celtics 30-21 and taking a two-point lead into the fourth quarter. Boston is now being outscored 340-322 in the third quarter this postseason, with opponents averaging nearly 30 points and shooting nearly 50%.
Entering the fourth quarter, Tatum had totaled just three points on 1-of-13 (7%) shooting. With his team trailing by two entering the fourth quarter of an elimination game, Boston needed Tatum to step up, and the All-NBA First Team forward answered the call.
Tatum finished the fourth quarter with 16 points on 4-of-5 (80%) shooting from three. The four-time All Star drilled three clutch threes in a row, one of which was the dagger that put Boston ahead by eight with under two minutes to go.
Tatum’s 16 fourth-quarter points were more than the 76ers team as a whole (13), which is also a testament to how great Boston’s defense played.
Boston needed a big game from Tatum, and though it wasn’t necessarily what everyone was expecting, number 0 stepped up when the moment mattered most. There’s been a lot of chatter that Tatum doesn’t have the “Dog” in him recently, and while he needs to show up for a full 48 minutes, that chatter should be a little quieter Friday morning.
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