The Philadelphia 76ers could have acquired Jayson Tatum.
In the 2017 NBA Draft, they moved up to the first overall pick, selecting Markelle Fultz, thereby allowing Lonzo Ball to go to the Los Angeles Lakers at second overall and Tatum to the Boston Celtics at third.
Describing this decision as having severely backfired would be an inadequate portrayal.
Tatum, remembered for his 51-point Game 7 performance that eliminated the Sixers in a prior second-round playoff series, landed a crucial three-point shot against Philadelphia center Adem Bona during Friday’s 108-100 victory. He contributed 11 of his 25 total points in the final quarter, helping Boston achieve a 2-1 series advantage before Sunday’s Game 4 of the initial round.
“This isn’t new territory for me,” Tatum commented to reporters following the contest.
It’s worth noting: Tatum suffered a rupture to his right Achilles tendon less than twelve months ago. This fact becomes easily overlooked as the postseason progresses, given his exceptional performance. He participated in only 16 games during the regular season. Tatum’s current level of play is quite unexpected given his recovery timeline:
Nevertheless, he is performing at this level. And it is magnificent to observe. Unless, of course, you hail from Philadelphia.
Let’s now consider some observations from the game.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Secure the Win
At the halfway point of the fourth period, the Celtics and Sixers found themselves in a tightly contested match, with only a single possession separating the teams. Boston had just taken an 86-85 lead due to a goaltending call.
It was at this juncture that Celtics’ prominent player, Jaylen Brown, momentarily seized control of the game. He intercepted a pass directed at Paul George, leading to a layup for Derrick White, before personally adding the subsequent eight points, extending Boston’s lead to 96-92 with 3 minutes and 14 seconds left on the clock.
However, Philadelphia refused to concede.
Consequently, Tatum then assumed command. He either scored or set up the Celtics’ subsequent ten points.
A three-point shot by Tatum pushed the Celtics to a 100-96 lead with 1 minute and 57 seconds remaining. On Boston’s following possession, he assisted Payton Pritchard on one of his five successful three-point attempts, establishing a 103-98 cushion. Subsequently, after the Sixers narrowed the deficit to 103-100, Tatum sank the decisive shot over Bona. Game over.
Boston Converts Three-Pointers
It is often stated that success in this league hinges on shot accuracy. Sinking shots leads to victory; missing them results in defeat. Throughout the season, Boston has demonstrated greater shooting proficiency than Philadelphia, which explains why the Celtics secured the second seed and were widely predicted to triumph in this series.
However, in Game 2, the Celtics struggled with their shooting, failing on 37 out of 50 three-point attempts. This marked their second-worst shooting performance from deep all season. Conversely, the Sixers found their rhythm in Game 2, successfully making 19 of 39 three-point shots, ranking among their top three shooting displays of the season. This stark difference was pivotal in Philadelphia’s 111-97 win.
Perhaps that was an outlier.
In fact, the Celtics almost matched their entire three-point production from Game 2 during just the first half of Game 3, hitting 12 shots from beyond the arc and building a 54-47 lead by halftime. A total of eight distinct Celtics players successfully scored from three-point range during the game. Five of them sank more than one.
Ultimately, Boston concluded the game shooting 20-for-47 from long range, a significantly improved showing compared to their performance in Game 2.
Despite this, the 76ers remained competitive, even without matching Boston’s prolific long-range shooting. Philadelphia concluded the game 12-for-35 from beyond the arc and suffered a defeat. It’s quite puzzling.
It’s impermissible to allow Maxey to triumph through both his scoring and his playmaking. Yet, this dual threat is precisely what he aims for in the pick-and-roll scenario — either putting points on the board himself or setting up a score for a teammate. The defensive scheme employed against him seems to be inconsequential.
If you sag off in defense, he will launch a shot over you. If you press too tightly, he will swiftly drive past you. If you send a second defender to hedge, he will release a pass so rapidly that it will reach an open shooter before defensive recovery is possible. Your challenging options are either to commit two defenders to contain him, thereby leaving other shooters unguarded, or to guard him individually, hoping he misses shots when isolated.
Therefore, the Celtics chose to challenge Maxey in single coverage. He very nearly succeeded, tallying 31 points, though requiring 31 shot attempts to do so. Boston considers this an acceptable trade-off, particularly if it allows them to tightly guard Philadelphia’s other perimeter shooters. They executed this strategy, and Maxey recorded six assists, a lower total than his prior declaration of needing “9, 10 or 11” per game to keep his team competitive in the series.
Other 76ers players, excluding Maxey and George, collectively made 3 of 15 attempts from three-point range. This was a significant decline from their Game 2 performance. Rookie VJ Edgecombe, who achieved 30 points and 10 rebounds in their Game 2 win, had a less impactful outing on Friday, failing to convert any of his seven three-point attempts.
