1. In Game of Thrones, there is a scene where Arya Stark’s sword fighting instructor Syrio Forel sends her away while some soldiers come to attack them. As he prepares to cover her exit, Syrio asks Arya, “What shall we say to the God of Death?” to which Arya replied “Not today”.
The Boston Celtics’ season was about to die, but the Celtics said “not today” and forced a Game 7.
This team never makes it easy. Perhaps this is their calling card. For whatever reason, the harder the track, the better the gameplay.
It was a team-wide success, with Joe Mazzola making some lineup and rotation calls, as well as some on-field adjustments with charting and coverage. Only seven players watched the events, but they all contributed in positive ways.
Add it all up, and the Boston Celtics, like Arya Stark, lived to fight another day.
2. Marcus Smart may not have had all of the endgame heroics, but he was Boston’s MVP in Game 6. Never shying away from the moment, Smart went ahead and made several big plays throughout the game to help keep the Celtics season alive .
You had a feeling Smart might be in for a big night when his fist dropped:
A bit later, Smart pinched and took the ball away from Joel Embiid, which eventually resulted in a foul pass from Embiid:
Smart feels so good now that he lets her fly with confidence:
When he’s feeling down, Smart tends to be all over defensive. This robbery, and strong push, you get SixExpress Cross Match and the drive opens up for Jaylen Brown:
This play more than any other tells the story of how much Marcus Smart wanted Game 7:
Early in the second half, Smart settled into his playmaker position. First up was this gorgeous no-look lob on Rob Williams:
After a few possessions, Smart’s patience with the move paid off, as he set up Al Horford for ease:
Then near the end, when the Celtics needed a big hoop, Smart delivered:
It was one of those performances that undeniably came from the heart and soul of the Celtics. Every time Boston needed a big play, Marcus Smart was involved in making it.
3. For a decent stretch of the game, Jaylen Brown held the Celtics offense. He did catch some jumpers, but Brown got to the point where he didn’t know anyone on the Sixers who could protect him from the dribble.
This attacking mentality showed in this strong end late in the second quarter:
To open the second half, the Browns went straight to Joel Embiid again:
When Philadelphia overreacted to the Browns’ drives, he was content with finding pitchers:
Nor will Brown be denied. And he wasn’t afraid to attack Embiid head-on:
4. We’ve mentioned it before, but one of Joe Mazzola’s big changes was bringing Rob Williams back into the first group. Williams replaced Derrick White and the change was impressive. Williams’ size and athleticism have appeared in assisting defense many times. Whether it came against Joel Embiid, where Williams was a designated double-teamer, or an assist when he led the Sixers, Williams changed plenty of shots in the paint. It also helped boost the defensive rebound, as the 76ers managed just six offensive rebounds throughout the game.
Another change made by Mazzola was to play only seven players. Only Malcolm Brogdon and Derek White have had time off the bench. This means Celtic haven’t been sitting out for very long, and they’ve all more or less stayed in rhythm, with one notable exception which we’ll cover next.
Mazola’s chart changes and coverages were a bit more subtle. Boston played less coverage, especially in the tight catch around the elbow that Philadelphia played so much in Game Five. Ball on screen actions.
Finally, Mazola used a set of time-outs in Smart Places. He’s used a couple to suppress runs from the Sixers, but he also has a real pulse when his teammates need a break. Mazzulla even used a game that appeared to be just to get Jaylen Brown back in the game. And he saved the challenge and used it in the perfect spot to clear a foul and two free throws, when Horford came up with a big stoppage late.
5. JASON TAtum’s shot was nowhere to be found in the first part of this game. For the better part of about 44 minutes, Tatum was unable to shoot. But that didn’t stop him from influencing the game in other ways.
In transition, this was a good pass and pass by Tatum to set up Rob Williams for the dunk:
Tatum’s defense was stellar throughout the game. It’s rare for someone to get a step back for James Harden from the front, but Tatum was all over the place here:
After intercepting the shot and getting the rebound, Tatum made Boston run again before finding Smart open in the corner:
When Harden found Tobias Harris the slam dunk, Tatum took him away:
All the other stuff was there from Tatum when the recording wasn’t. And we all knew the shots would fall eventually.
6. Those shots eventually fall.
With Boston twice down, their star hasn’t wavered, despite a bad night of shooting up to this point:
On the next ride, Tatum fell back into that long stride:
After a big hiatus, Tatum and Marcus Smart worked the pick-and-pop to perfection:
Again, for the dagger to send the serial to Boston:
7. BETWEEN ALL OF THOSE BRUTAL TATS FROM JAYSON TUM WERE TWO HUGE AL HORFORD PLAYS FOR STOPS.
First, Horford created this great tape for James Harden, after a successful challenge by Joe Mazzola:
This led to a late launch that was not missed. On Philadelphia’s next possession, Horford returned to Harden on the switch again. This time he stayed ahead and battled the baseline runner to force a pass:
Overall, Boston held Philadelphia nearly without making a field goal in the final six minutes of the game. They were locked up, led by their veteran leader.
8. Malcolm Brogdon had a pretty miserable game 5. In Game 6, he came out shooting and helped stabilize the Celtics early.
This is a good read by Jaylen Brown on Transition and Brogdon introduced The Three Draws:
After a few plays, Brogdon is working on Halfcourt. With Embiid lying down, and Marcus Smart having had enough of the defender, Brogdon recovered and pulled three again:
9. Derrick White took the lineup change in stride. He just did his thing, getting off the bench and doing a little bit of everything. It was nice to see White take his shots without hesitation. It was a good pass by Jaylen Brown from a double-team and White ripped the net:
And we all know that white is good for at least one block per game:
10. EVERYONE DID SOMETHING TO HELP THE CELTICS WIN GAME 6 ON THE ROAD. And Jason Tatum came when Boston needed him most. Now it’s a do-or-die 7 at TD Garden and Miami Heat The Celtics could be waiting in the Eastern Conference Finals.
If that sounds familiar, that’s because that’s the exact place the Celtics were a year ago. Tatum came out big in Game 6 to help force Game 7. The Celtics played Game 7 at home with the victorious Heat waiting on the other side.
We’ll find out on Sunday if history does indeed repeat itself. The Celtics know what they have to do. They’ve already asked the crowd to make TD Garden a hostile, miserable, and unwelcoming environment for the 76ers. Game 7. It all comes back to completion in Boston.