It’s amazing what happens when the Celtics are focused, when they spend 48 hours having their pride challenged and pondering their season on the brink following another disheartening loss.
The fortitude was evident throughout. There were no drop-offs. Marcus Smart nearly broke the ankle of Philadelphia’s P.J. Tucker leaping for a loose ball with no hesitation. Smart later suffered a stinger and cut his lip when Joel Embiid pounced on him chasing another loose ball.
The 3-pointers fell. The defense was vastly improved from Game 1, but most importantly the Celtics excelled because they played harder than the Philadelphia 76ers. They wanted Game 2 more. They played with desperation.
It’s the type of desperation they should display more often, because this is the playoffs and the Celtics have the talent to win the championship. Wednesday’s 121-87 win at TD Garden proved that.
“Angry, pissed,” was coach Joe Mazzulla’s response when asked about the team’s mentality between games. “We just managed the game well. Our defensive presence led to our offense and good offense led to our defense.”
The question is consistency. Not that the Celtics should be expected to win every game by 30 points, but they should be expected to play with this type of desire, regardless of how well they play.
“I’m convinced we have a great locker room and a great team,” Mazzulla said of his team’s ability to play this intensely for the rest of the series. “When we play to our level, we have a chance to win. So we have to keep that level.”
Game 2 was a masterpiece. The Celtics coasted despite the return of Embiid, the new MVP who announced after winning the award on Tuesday night that he was back after missing two weeks with a knee injury. His presence was apparently supposed to boost his team after James Harden dropped 45 on the Celtics in the stunning Game 1 win.
Instead, the Celtics appeared more comfortable with Embiid in the middle. He did protect the paint with five blocked shots, but the 76ers also played at a slower pace, took fewer 3-pointers, and got virtually nothing from their bench, unlike Game 1.
You could call Game 1 an aberration, a rare combination of the 76ers’ exceptional shooting and the Celtics botching the final minutes. But the demoralizing loss appeared to reinvigorate the players in the time between games and they put a heavier emphasis on the game plan, especially containing Harden.
Once they began impacting Harden’s ability to score and distribute with Jaylen Brown’s full-court pressure, the 76ers’ offense fizzled, and the Celtics took control.
“We’ve got to tip our hats to JB,” Smart said. “He started the whole momentum for us right away. He set the tone. We just had to follow his lead. When you’ve got one of your best players setting the tone like that, it’s hard not to follow. He’s right, our defense has been slipping and we just wanted to come out and get back to what we do best.”
It’s been hard to determine an identity for the Celtics during this playoff run. They defended at times during the Atlanta series but mostly outscored the Hawks. Game 1 of this series was one of their worst defensive efforts in years, meaning there had to be some type of response.
The response was taking every defensive possession seriously, being meticulous on their switches and being physical without over-fouling. The 76ers shot under 38 percent through three quarters — when the game was competitive —and 4 for 21 from the 3-point line.
“Give them credit, I thought their ball pressure ate us up all night,” Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers said. “They pressured us. They denied us. They played in our airspace. It’s funny, we talked about it this morning, talked about it before the game, and you can talk about intensity and force all you want but when you’re on the court and it’s actually being applied to you, you have to be able to handle it. We didn’t handle it very well.”
For the first time in a while, the Celtics punched first and never stopped. They were Muhammad Ali against Cleveland Williams, overwhelming the 76ers with relentless defense, ball movement and pinpoint shooting. These were the great Celtics on Wednesday, the team capable of winning an NBA championship.
They needed to be great in Game 2. Their pride was at stake.
“We underperformed last game and we wanted to come out and play to the best of our ability,” Brown said. “It’s a long series; just embracing the challenge of setting the tone on defense is going to be the key. We’re going to need each and every guy on our team to embrace those challenges. I think we all should be excited to embrace that challenge.
“You’ve got to be worthy of what you say you want to do. These are the moments and tests you have to persevere through. All of these challenges you can’t run from it, you can’t hide. You just have to accept it head on.”
Are the Celtics ready to carry over this performance to the rest of the series? The rest of the playoffs? Are their wild inconsistencies and mental lapses behind them after the Game 1 embarrassment?
It’s too early to tell, but Wednesday was the response they desperately needed. It’s the type of response that championship teams make. They don’t languish over their setbacks; they rebound with more intensity, vigor, and determination.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GwashburnGlobe.
"come" - Google News
May 04, 2023 at 11:29AM
https://ift.tt/gsk61VY
Did the Celtics come up with the correct response in Game 2? They sure did. They played like champs play. - The Boston Globe
"come" - Google News
https://ift.tt/MCNj8vQ
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Did the Celtics come up with the correct response in Game 2? They sure did. They played like champs play. - The Boston Globe"
Post a Comment