Boston Celtics Solve No Problems Against the 76ers

The Boston Celtics narrowly escaped the Philadelphia 76ers with a win but there was nothing to be proud of. Despite the win, the Celtics probably played their second worst game of the season, topped only by the lopsided loss to the Brooklyn Nets. The Celtics started the game well and they closed the game well. It’s not often teams win playing well for just 8 minutes but the Celtics managed to do it to put themselves back above .500.

The Celtics finally found their defensive form when they shut out the 76ers with under 3 minutes left but they did absolutely nothing to suggest they have moved past their slump that began with a loss to the Nets. The Celtics continue to be maddeningly inconsistent on both ends and they need to find a way to play with their top energy and hustle for a full game.

The one and only bright spot form that game was the resurgence of Isaiah Thomas. He appeared to take things personally down the stretch and he bounced back from his worst game of the season to lead the Celtics to the win. Thomas got back to scoring with 30 points and he got back to distributing with 6 assists. Thomas once again was the best offensive option for the Celtics and they need him to lead the way on that end.

Avery Bradley cooled off and other than early success for Jared Sullinger, no one else was a true factor on the offensive end. And this was against the 76ers. Things will only get significantly harder from here but if these last three games can’t be a wake up call for the Celtics then nothing can.

Nov 18, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics center Jared Sullinger (7) reacts after a three point basket by guard Avery Bradley (0) against the Dallas Mavericks in the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics had fewer steals than the most turnover prone team in the NBA and until they return to their top defensive form, they are going to continue to lose games. The Celtics need to find a way to play with energy because after Marcus Smart was seen in crutches they may have to play without him for upwards to a month.

There can be no understating Smart’s importance after this stretch but the Celtics cannot use him as an excuse. The Celtics have a lot of players that are vastly under performing and they are going to need a lot more than one player stepping up offensively to win games in the future.

The Celtics were crushed in the paint, giving up 38 points inside and they looked terrified to go to the rim for the majority of the game. The 76ers have talented bigs but they are young and Jahlil Okafor has been a defensive liability for a great deal of this season. The Celtics are not finding the areas to exploit in their opponent and they are not playing the brand of basketball that won them games earlier on.

The Celtics really look nothing like they did during their three game winning streak and do not let a win against the 76ers fool you into thinking that they have bounced back. Sure, the Celtics bounced back to close the game but that is no different than what happened in the preview two games. The Celtic are always going to have those momentary defensive surges that lead to runs but that kind of defensive intensity needs to be maintained for an entire game.

Sullinger was able to get back to a dominant game on the boards and 11 total offensive rebounds is a good sign but they need to do a better job of capitalizing on the second chance opportunities. The Celtics had 11 offensive rebounds but did not do nearly a good enough of a job taking advantage of it.

The Celtics have the reeling Washington Wizards up next on the schedule but the Wizards on a bad night are going to be significantly better than the 76ers tonight. The Celtics struggled to beat the worst team in the league when that team shot under 40% overall, under 30% from three and had 6 more turnovers than assists. With the way the 76ers played the Celtics may not get an easier game this entire season and they just barely escaped with a win.

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The Celtics need to reestablish their identity and they need to build from the closing minutes of the game. I wouldn’t rule out a lineup change from Stevens because it was not until late in the second quarter that the Celtics got a field goal from their bench. The Celtics avoided a complete disaster but things will get a lot worse if they do not find a way to come together and play at their highest level for an entire game.

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