No Kyrie, no Hayward, no problem. Looking at the current Celtics’ roster, led by rookie Jayson Tatum and backup point guard Terry Rozier, you would not expect a deep playoff run. Beating the Sixers, after being down 22 in front of their home crowd, shows that this team never doubts themselves. Tatum finished the night with a team-high 21 points while Rozier had 20 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds.
The team welcomed back Jaylen Brown who missed game one with a sore hamstring. Brown has emerged as a star this season with all of the injuries this season opening up playing time, averaging almost 15 points and 5 rebounds a game. Being resilient has been a theme for Boston all season. Brown finished the night 13 points which included some of his now signature flashy dunks. He praised the Boston crowd in the fourth quarter for helping the team make one final run to win 108-103.
He spoke with ESPN postgame, “I think I’ll remember that game forever. The way the crowd got behind us before the half. That last five minutes, man. The energy was insane. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that. Like that was the moment to definitely remember. Game 2, Philadelphia, 2018. For sure.”
Ben Simmons, rookie or not, will not have another one point game this series. I feel confident enough that game two will probably the only one point game of his career. He admitted after the game that he was “overthinking” and that he must adjust to Boston’s game plan for him. After the game, Marcus Smart admitted after the game, “We threw different matchups at him, and we really dictated what he wanted to do.” The team has done a good job not letting Simmons get comfortable in games. He averaged a double-double in the first round against the Heat so going back to Philadelphia for the next two games, the Celtics have to keep making him feel uncomfortable.
Do not expect the Celtics to feel bad for Simmons having an off game. The team that lost it’s star within minutes of the season starting only to lose their other superstar just a month ago. Once the news that Kyrie Irving would miss the remainder of the season and the playoffs dropped, so did everyone’s confidence in the Celtics. More praise needs to be heaped on Brad Stevens shoulder for his ability to make adjustments and put his team in the best situation to win.
[…] trips to Boston, assuming they close out Philadelphia, and face ex-teammate Kyrie Irving, where a surprising stroll through the playoffs has looked fairly simple considering an injury-ridden Celtics team. Whatever the matchup, if […]