The Celtics are up a game on Philadelphia in a scrappy series headed to game 4.
Game 3 ended with a Jayson Tatum dagger solidifying the win for the team in green. After a confusing and slightly worrying Game 2, the Cs rallied late after a near comeback from the Sixers led by Tyrese Maxey. Since 2024, the Celtics are 3-4 in Game 2’s (all at home) yet are 20-5 in all other playoff games. With Embiid still sidelined, will this series end in 5?
Jayson Tatum is scorching the Sixers defense
One of my predictions was that Tatum would be matched up against Paul George in a battle between the two All-Star wings, yet he has found himself against Kelly Oubre Jr or Quentin Grimes primarily. He went 9-17 in games 1 and 3 while bringing down 30 boards in the series. He’s been an incredible rebounder since his return despite grabbing his usual free defensive ones. I’ve loved his passing as well; he has no sense of tunnel vision even if calling for an iso. He has 23 assists, but what feels like 50 hockey assists. His hands are all over every possession and has been a breath of fresh air from the Brown-dominated offense of the majority of the season.
Speaking of Jaylen Brown, he is the “first option” on this team still. An antiquated phrase in itself, he has led the team in scoring sporting a 36-point performance in a loss in Game 2. I’ve loved his approach through the two wins focusing on more of a slashing, mid-range game. He shot twelve threes in the loss and doubled down on his misses. Defensively he’s been stout as well, with a highlight chase down block on Edgecombe reminiscent of Lebron James. The tandem scored or assisted on 90+% of the points in the loss, showing our reliance on them to win which can be to our detriment.
Should C’s fans be concerned about Derrick White?
I’ll be honest. Yes. White was borderline unplayable in Game 2, uncharacteristic for the Sportsman of the Year. He shot 25% in the last two games and had a negative plus minus in the 8-point win Friday. His shooting has been questionable, a common storyline throughout this season, and now looks afraid to put up shots. On defense he’s as formidable as ever but certainly can’t keep up with the breakneck speed of Maxey and Edgecombe, which is not to his fault.
With swirling trade rumors about Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially being interested in Boston, fans online have put together packages shipping White to Milwaukee alongside a king’s ransom of picks. Personally, I am not optimistic about the long-term health of Giannis but also question his fit with the Jays. But that’s not important right now.
The bench is shining as ever
In Game 3, Pritchard and Walsh were both +18 playing wonderful defense on the also great Philadelphia second unit. Scheierman had a highlight no-dip three and also played important minutes down the stretch for his defensive impact. It’s been awesome watching his development since he was drafted out of Creighton. Scheierman was touted as the Hauser replacement but now finds himself as a true 3 and D guy whereas I see Hauser as only a 3 guy. With Embiid potentially returning in Game 4, the bigs need to buckle up for a more physical time on the boards (even though Bona and Drummond are extremely potent there as well). Queta is getting pushed around which has disappointed me as he was on a hot streak coming into the playoffs.
It’s been an incredibly entertaining series so far and a great week for Boston sports. With the Bruins trying to climb back in a hard-fought series against the Sabres and the Red Sox playing the Yankees all at one time, it felt like a rivalry week.
The Celtics and Sixers return on Sunday, at 7:00 PM EST on NBC/Peacock.
