1. This time of year, we talk a lot about “surviving and getting ahead.” The Boston Celtics split that in two. They survived in Game 6 and advanced in Game 7 vs Philadelphia Seventy Sixers.
After a back-and-forth first half, Boston completely dominated the second half. By the middle of the third quarter, the game was funny, and the party was at TD Garden.
The Celtics don’t make anything easy on themselves, but they tend to show up more than they don’t. They will need to do this twice more to achieve the final goal of the season.
Will the roller coaster still be fun, terrifying, and exhilarating all at once? Yes. And in the end, we all hope to ask if we can do it again.
2. This takeaway will feature a lot of Jason Tatum. Anyone expecting anything different is likely to be sorely disappointed. Tatum was simply outmatched in Game 7. Here are the numbers:
51 points from 17 of 28, including 6 of 10 on three-pointers
13 rebounds (game high)
5 assists (team high)
2 steals
0 turn
Let those breathe for a moment… You’ve got a big smile on your face, right? Let’s go over how that happened.
When Tatum hit Joel Embiid with hesitation in the dribbling early on, I felt like we might be heading into a special game:
When he fell for the one-legged Dirk Nowitzki, there was definitely a special one:
A few different times when things have gone awry for Boston in the last two games, they’ve gone to Tatum in position. Against smaller players, this should be a weapon for Tatum:
Where Tatum feels good, even a decent defender like Tobias Harris has no chance:
Tatum already had a great half, but when he achieved that withdrawal, it was time to start thinking about his game all the time. If the clouds fall off, there is nothing you can do with it:
This shot against Joel Embiid at the end of the first half was a sign of what was to come after the break:
3. In the second half, Jayson Tatum went to snatch his spirit and take the life from the Sixers early on. And he did it by ruthlessly chasing down the MVP.
Boston came out of the break looking to tackle Joel Embiid. When Tatum gets blown away by Embiid here, and PJ Tucker’s help is delayed, there’s no one to protect the Edge:
This time, Embiid is back in the paint. Not to worry, Tatum takes it outside and works until he gets his triple side step:
After the 76ers missed a timeout shot, Tatum worked to get Embiid back. This time, it was a one-off pull-up exercise in Embiid’s face:
With Embiid defending from somewhere in the greater Philadelphia area (this was likely a foul play area), Tatum was free and clear to pull off Al Horford’s screen:
Embiid is running on fumes here. Philadelphia wants to set a trap, with Tobias Harris behind the screen. But Tatum hits right in with Embiid before the MVP can even set the corner for the double-team:
no equivocation. 50 pcs. Soul kidnapping. Series ended:
4. As last year’s playoffs wound down, teams began to force Tatum to be a passer more often. He struggled with the role, and said it was a focal point of his offseason workouts.
Over the course of this regular season and playoffs, Tatum seems to have gotten a lot out of this part of the game.
The play came after flagrant offense James Harden was called out for hitting Jaylen Brown in the face. Joe Mazzulla apparently took the time to review this set and handed Tatum along with Loeb to Rob Williams:
A little later, Tatum drew two pick-and-rolls and left it to Williams to finish again:
Tatum is now convinced to draw double teams on the perimeter now and get the ball on a spin. That led to this discovery from Al Horford to Jaylen Brown:
Tatum also caught a good run at the break as the passer. This is a good job to draw the defense in to him, before sending him to Malcolm Brogdon to throw the ball:
5. Jaylen Brown got the Celtics off early, as they often are. Brown’s first bucket was, in a sense, a pitch adjuster. He was faster on the ball than the six-man and won a corner kick:
Boston got plenty of miles from Brown cutting in from the strong corner, while Marcus Smart found him through the tailgate. Philadelphia has seen it many times now and De’Anthony Melton has done a good job of blowing it up. The good news? Brown and Smart just poured into a three-person DHO rather than force a backplay or reset the whole action:
After being hit in the face, it was all over for Brown. His defense on the ball against James Harden was outstanding. What was really interesting was that the Browns remained locked in a non-playing position as well. This resulted in a game like this:
6. THE THIRD QUARTER WAS THE SOMETHING celtics dreams were made of. It was a throwback to last year’s Boston team.
The 76ers scored only 10 points on 3-of-21 shooting. Boston also forced six turnovers, including a shot clock violation.
Led by Jason Tatum, the Celtics scored 33 points on 11-of-19, including 8 of 12 from behind the arc.
For all intents and purposes, the match ended after 36 minutes. Philadelphia has never had a real run and it looked like they were playing things up for the last 12 minutes.
Boston set the tone late in the first half and then ran all the right notes in the third quarter to send the Sixers home.
7. Al Horford did all the things that made him a special player in this game. His defense against Joel Embiid was solid (at worst), but he did exceptionally well in Game 7. Horford just knows how to make Embiid uncomfortable. Even when Embiid scores, he almost always has to work for it against Horford.
Horford contributed offense as well. By now, you know we love big-to-big traffic here at the takeaway:
Horford didn’t take many shots, but they were big. He ran to the ground and got into place before Embiid could get back up and then gave Boston the lead:
This play, more than any other, was a sign of how hard Horford made Embiid get his shots. Early in the games, when the MVP has more power, he will hit some of those. As the game progresses, and the Embiid tires, Horford snaps:
8. After a statistically big 6 game, Marcus Smart played an understated 7. But he did hit two shots, one late in the first period and one early in the second period, to keep the Celtics’ offense moving. Jason Tatum starred.
Tatum accepts the double team here and finds Smart slipping off the screen. Rather than trying something crazy, Smart keeps things super simple and takes a short drag to hook up the game:
After three Tobias Harris runs tied the game to open the second period, Smart saved Boston with this late rout. Philadelphia will never tie or lead again:
9. File this away from the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and maybe NBA Finals. All teams Boston can still play, from Miami Heat To Denver Nuggets to Los Angeles Lakers, blend a fair amount of drop coverage. Malcolm Brogdon’s jumper jacket will be a key weapon for the Celtics along the way:
10. For the third time in the past four seasons, the Celtics vs. Heat are in the Eastern Conference Finals. The first matchup was on the bubble in 2020. The next matchup was just a year ago, with Miami getting the home court advantage. This time, Boston has the home advantage.
It feels idyllic that Boston has fielded a rival with a big man at MVP level by winning Game 6 on the road and having a Game 7 home run two years in a row. It feels idyllic that Miami is waiting out there in the East Finals.
We’ll have more in this series over the next couple of days. Now, let’s enjoy that we’re here again. It wasn’t a lock and it was scary at times, but here we are.
Just like a rollercoaster, after the scary parts, the fun begins. And we’re all set to ride again starting Wednesday.