It has been a long 125 days since the Boston Celtics lost game 6 of the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors. Throughout the offseason, the Celtics were reminded about the loss and how they could not see the series out after attaining a 2-1 series lead. Not only dealing with the frustration of defeat in the Finals the players were also hit with another blow as the team suspended head coach Ime Udoka for the entire NBA season. The Celtics announced that Joe Mazzulla will be the interim coach for the season, making him the youngest head coach in the league. When asked on Monday after practice if the season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers would be a statement game, Mazzulla responded saying “every day is a statement”. With the Celtics hosting the 76ers on opening night with the entire NBA world watching, Mazzulla and the team would certainly want to make a real statement that they are still one of the favorites for the title.
Preseason showed us a glimpse of how Mazzulla wanted to play. Similar identity to Udoka’s defensive philosophy, but wanted to push the ball up the court and play with speed. The Celtics started with their small-ball lineup of Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Al Horford they immediately started the game fast by going on a 9-2 run. That lineup, however, would not last long together because the one thing everyone knows about playing Philadelphia is that they are going to attempt a lot of free throws. With James Harden and Joel Embiid, the 76ers have a great inside/out duo who also know how to get to the free-throw line. Horford, who normally does a solid job on Embiid, had to head to the bench early after picking up two fouls within the first four minutes. With Robert Williams out for the first half of the season it was always going to be interesting to see who the first big off the bench was, and last night it was Noah Vonleh. The former 9th overall pick had a solid preseason with the Celtics and earned his roster spot. Vonleh, like Horford, would also pick up two quick fouls but unlike Al, he would stay in the game. The 76ers kept drawing fouls and were in the bonus with 3:39 left in the first. Harden was fouled three times while attempting a three-point shot which is essentially giving him three free points since he is a great free-throw shooter. The quarter ends with Philly leading 29-24 with the Sixers having shot 14 free throws to the Celtics eight.
The second quarter was a lot of back and forth with each team going on their respective runs. You can tell it is the first game of the season because the defensive rotations seem to be off by a second or two which in the NBA means a wide-open shot for someone. The Celtics continued to push the ball even after Philly made baskets and had 13 fast break points before the break. Ending the half on a 10-5 run which had both teams level going to halftime.
The pace did not slow down for the Celtics when they began the third quarter. At one point the Celtics had 20 fast break points compared to the Sixers two fast break points. With the new “take foul” rule, which does not allow a player to stop a fast break attempt by fouling them, it is safe to say that the league average for fast break points will be higher than in previous seasons. The third quarter also showed why Jayson Tatum was the Eastern Conference MVP in the playoffs. Tatum erupted for 17 points in the third and was hitting what seemed to be every shot he put up. Boston fans know all too well that when Tatum gets “in his bag” and is feeling it, he is a very dangerous player to try and guard. The Celtics outscored the Sixers by 10 in the third to take a 98-88 lead going into the fourth.
The Celtics continued to make big shots and never really allowed the Sixers to come back into the game. Jaylen Brown who started the game missing his first three, three-point attempts ended up making 4/12 behind the arc, but it was his aggression and midrange pull-ups that helped him tally 35 points while shooting over 58% from the field. Tatum who finished the game shooting 65% from the field also had 35 points of his own to combine with Brown for 70 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists. The duo had it going and it was enough to see out the game and for the Celtics to win the first game of the NBA season 126-117. This team will go as far as Tatum and Brown can take them. In the Finals, Tatum slowed down and while Brown kept up his production, he could not do it on his own. Both of them need to be great, and yesterday they were both great.
The Celtics next game will be Friday in Miami for a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals with the Heat.
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Great insights 👍🏻
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