Sixers defense offers ‘no resistance’ in Game 1 blowout loss to Celtics and ‘you’re not going to win like that’
“They had a lot of possessions where they just walked to the rim for easy layups,” veteran forward Paul George said. The Celtics shot 50% from the floor and scored 20 fastbreak points.
BOSTON — After the Celtics drubbed the 76ers in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Sunday, a message from postseason veteran Paul George resonated with All-Star Tyrese Maxey.
“[The Celtics] didn’t feel like it was a playoff game,” Maxey recalled. “ … They felt like it was an easy game, and that’s not OK. We’ve got to make them more uncomfortable.”
One could blame the Sixers’ 123-91 defeat solely on horrid shooting from the floor (38.9%) and especially from three-point range (4 of 23). But coach Nick Nurse, along with Maxey and rookie standout VJ Edgecombe, were generally content with the shots generated. The defensive breakdowns and unforced errors, however, were a big part of what made the bulk of the game “unacceptable,” Nurse said.
“They had a lot of possessions where they just walked to the rim for easy layups,” George said. “There was just no resistance at a lot of times throughout the game, and that’s not playoff basketball.”
The second-seeded Celtics shot 50% from the floor and 16 of 44 from beyond the arc, and totaled 20 fastbreak points. High production should be expected from the NBA’s second most efficient offense during the regular season (120 points per 100 possessions), fueled by its collective three-point barrage and premier shot-makers Jayson Tatum (25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) and Jaylen Brown (26 points).
What frustrated Maxey, though, is that the Sixers’ miscues were aspects they reviewed before the game. And sometimes those points of emphasis were as simple as “if you see somebody driving to the rim, step in front of them, no matter what the scenario is.”
» READ MORE: Sixers shooting was a big problem in Game 1. The bigger problem is it might not have mattered.
“It felt like they were just flowing into their sets and all their actions easily, untouched,” added Edgecombe, who finished with 13 points in his playoff debut. “I think we just have to get up and guard. … Just be ready to guard your yard. It’s really one-on-one. If you keep your man in front of you, we won’t be in rotation.”
Tatum, who did not play against the Sixers during the regular season while recovering from Achilles tendon surgery, repeatedly barreled downhill — including on a thunderous, two-handed slam and scream to cap a terrific first quarter. In the third period, Kelly Oubre Jr., tried to get over a screen and then got caught flat-footed, leaving Derrick White wide open for a three-pointer.
And even when the Sixers cobbled together some momentum in the second half, a sloppy Andre Drummond pass off a rebound led to a Brown three-pointer, then another deep shot by Nikola Vučević that ignited the crowd and prompted a Nurse timeout.
That was an example of how poor offense and poor defense can become connected. Maxey lamented that “every turnover that we had, it felt like they scored on it.” Missed shots prevent players from getting set up on the opposite end. And the ball repeatedly clanking off the rim can be mentally deflating.
“If you’re making shots, you’re anxious to guard,” Edgecombe said. “You’re anxious to get a stop, because now you’re going to have another chance to make another shot.”
» READ MORE: The Sixers get dismantled, Boston wins at effort ball and more of what we learned in a Game 1 rout
Still, it is understandable why George focused on the Sixers’ defensive shortcomings.
As the Sixers’ “quarterback” on that end of the floor, he acknowledged before the postseason began that his team was still making mistakes that irked him. After the Game 1 loss, George emphasized that teammates need to trust that the help defender is lingering behind them, allowing perimeter players to be more aggressive while guarding the ball.
George also did not want to overreact to one game. The Sixers have at least three more remaining against these Celtics, starting with Tuesday’s Game 2 in Boston.
But a similar defensive performance is going to yield the same result, George believes. Whether the Sixers’ shots fall or not.
“You give a team 123 [points] and they shoot 50%,” George said, “you’re not going to win like that on the road.”
