PHILADELPHIA – At the end of one of the odd games of his career, Jason Tatum of the Boston Celtics punts the ball against the court as the final seconds go by. The sound of those tough dribblers—every dinging sound—seemed to fill the Wells Fargo Center as thousands of 76ers fans tried to make sense of what just happened in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
How was any of that possible? How did the 76ers stand a chance of securing their first trip to the Conference Finals since 2001? How did the Celtics take advantage of such a simple change – the introduction of Robert Williams in the starting lineup – to bolster their defense? And how did Tatum, after spending most of his evening throwing away batters, finally save his team’s season?
“For 43 minutes, I had to hear them tell me how bad I was,” Tatum said of the fans. “So it kind of felt good to see everyone get out of their seats, and leave early.”
A bizarre series full of weird games will go a long way – why not? — after the Celtics put up a batting hit of 76 in a 95-86 win on Thursday, leading up to Game 7 on Sunday in Boston.
Both teams are built to win now. These are not young people, and they own the franchise. The 76ers are desperate to deliver on the long-held promise of the team-building scheme known as Operation, with Joel Embiid, who recently received his first NBA Most Valuable Player Award, serving as a focal point. The Celtics, meanwhile, used the slogan “unfinished business,” referring to how close they came to winning it all last season when they lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
An early exit by the 76ers or Celtics — and bouncing out of the playoffs at the conference semifinals — could usher in a summer of change. However, it would be seismic to win.
“Honestly, I don’t want to go to Game 7 in Boston with any other group,” said 76ers coach Doc Rivers. “I know we’re going to the rally. We’ve been rallying all year on the road.”
On Thursday, Tatum came out from his own struggles. He missed 13 of his first 14 field goal attempts, a stretch of futility that extended into the fourth quarter. He said his teammates kept feeding him positive reinforcement. Keep bouncing. Keep defending. Keep scrolling. Keep shooting.
Joe Mazzola, first-year Celtics head coach, went one step further.
“I love you,” Mazzola remembers telling him. “That’s a very strong statement.”
Tatum’s first 3-pointer of the game gave the Celtics an 84-83 lead. Another one sank 39 seconds later. He made four three-pointers in the final 4:14, turning the arena into a shrine. He finished with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.
“We’re counting on him,” said Malcolm Brogdon of the Celtics. “He’s our guy. And he’s proven he can be counted on in those moments. I don’t think there’s any doubt in anyone’s mind. It doesn’t matter how many shots he misses in the first three quarters. He’ll finish the game for us.”
Tatum, an All-NBA first-team selection for the second straight season, has no shortage of confidence. in Live interview with ESPN After Thursday’s game, he referred to himself as “humbly, one of the best basketball players in the world.” It was a big statement after he shot 5 of 21 from the field.
He later said, “I think this character you’re calling him telling yourself that when you only hit one shot, and things don’t go your way, you have to be the same person with the same morals, the same character whether you’re up or down. And I kept telling myself that. I trust myself.” “
Accordingly, Tatum gave Mazzulla a deadline — at least two days. Mazzola, who was an assistant under Emi Udoka last season, took over as the team’s interim head coach just days before training camp began when Udoka was suspended by the Celtics for “unspecified violations of team policies.” The Celtics temporarily removed Mazzulla in February and signed him to a contract extension.
But the pressure on Mazzola, 34, only mounted in the playoffs — and during this series, especially. There was Game 1, which the Celtics lost although Embiid was sidelined with a sprained knee. There was Game 4, which the Celtics lost in overtime after they forced a weak punt in the final seconds. (Mazzola later apologized to his players for neglecting to use one of his remaining timeouts.) And there was Game 5, which the Celtics lost thanks to a half-hearted display of basketball that had their fans booing them.
Prior to Game 6, Mazzola made a long overdue change by starting Williams, a defensive-minded center, in place of Derrick White—a move that was endorsed by Marcus Smart, the team’s starting point guard. In addition to blocking two shots and influencing countless others, Williams had 10 points and 9 rebounds.
“Joe is learning, just like all of us,” said Smart, who finished with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. “I know he was killed off a lot, and rightly so. He needed to make some adjustments, and he did, and that’s all you can ask for—for him to continue being the best he can be.”
Tatum described how he and Mazzola leaned on each other throughout the season.
“I know there are a lot of questions and doubts, and I’ve often told him, ‘I have it with you, I have it with you,'” Tatum said. We’re in this together.'”