Not every win is a pretty win, but the Boston Celtics were able to weather the Joel Embiid storm as they eventually pulled away late in the third quarter to ice the series.
The Boston Celtics are now officially past the first round of the NBA playoffs. With a grind-it-out style victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, game four was a roller coaster ride of a game with eight ties and 11 total lead changes.
Despite the win, there are still a few concerns moving forward with this C’s team. Fouling, in particular, gave the Celtics as they set their season-high record for opponent free throws in the first quarter, as eight, yes eight, separate Celtics had at least one foul to finish the first. Around 55% of the 76ers total free throws came in the first quarter as they were ironically on pace to shoot 76 free throws given the hectic first quarter.
But let’s give this Boston team some credit as they move to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Yes, the 76ers were without their second-best player in Ben Simmons, but the C’s were also without Gordon Hayward for the majority of this series–as role players and at different times–stepped up in their way to provide value.
Let’s check Houdini’s player grades ahead of the second round of the playoffs.
Jayson Tatum: A
Jayson Tatum had one of his most well-rounded games as a Celtic, as he seemed to be involved with almost every possession. He set his career-high in rebounds, with 15 boards, Tatum finished the night with 28 points on 55 percent shooting, averaging 27 points throughout the series.
While he only had four assists on the night, Tatum seemed especially engaged as a playmaker as the Celtics did an excellent job of operating out of the Tatum-Brown pick and roll. As NBA hipsters are aware, the third-year forward’s ability to guard the nail and work as a quality off-ball defender gives the Boston Celtics an added dimension on defense. Tatum’s game four performance also reinforced the fact that he can also be a quality on-ball defender.
Repeat after me: Jayson Tatum does more than just score.
https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1297615999718395904?s=20
Jaylen Brown: B
Jaylen Brown’s early, off the dribble aggressiveness, attacking Al Horford, helped the Boston Celtics get some initial offense going. Despite the strong start, Brown had a rough shooting night going only 2-9 from beyond the arc.
After a red-hot Game One, Brown’s three-point shooting has taken a bit of an efficiency dive throughout the rest of the series, but expect him to turn this around as he’s shot well below his average from 3-point range. While he finished the game with five turnovers, Brown’s provided quality on-ball and post defense.
Kemba Walker: A
Kemba Walker was getting to his spots at will. Embiid was constantly caught in no man’s land when engaged in the pick and roll, as it seemed as if Walker hit the same shot from above the break as his offense was both efficient and electric. He got to the line at will (13 times), and in typical Kemba fashion converted on all but one of these attempts.
On the defensive side of the floor, Walker was targeted early, especially by Shake Milton. His size, especially in the post, is something the Boston Celtics should gameplan to mask before their second-round match up with the Toronto Raptors. Walker was terrific tonight, breaking ankles and taking names as he channeled that classic “Cardiac Kemba” energy.
Staying hot from Game 3 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Z4NqnYLilE
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 23, 2020
Marcus Smart: B+
It may sound like a broken record by Marcus Smart doesn’t need to score to have a good game. In a classic Smart game, he only attempted six shots in 42 minutes of play, but his playmaking and defensive versatility were always on display. More Smart at point guard may be the answer moving forward as Walker also looked great playing off the ball.
Daniel Theis: A-
Daniel Theis had perhaps the worst and strangest thirty-second start to any game he’s played in his career. After a turnover and early foul Brad Stevens and the Boston Celtics coaching staff decided to bench Theis after the first thirty seconds of the game.
Perhaps an odd initial coaching decision, Theis came out firing on all cylinders as he finished with 15 points in 26 minutes. It was a great sign to see him take and make the wide-open above the break three-pointer, looking like a different player in the process (not that Process).
Playing without hesitation, he was in the right position at the right time as he had some impressive finishes around the rim. Defensively, in the post, Theis was still physically outmatched by both Al Horford and Joel Embiid, but it was nice to see him hunt his shot and look for more of his offense.
Enes Kanter: B-
Enes Kanter gave the Celtics quality minutes off the bench despite picking up four fouls in under 20 minutes. Always a target defensively in the pick and roll action Kanter was a +10 on the night as he finished with six points and five rebounds.
Again the Raptors will be an interesting case study to see how his minutes are allocated. While the Raptors have size, they do an excellent job of stretching the floor and spacing opposing bigs.
Brad Wanamaker, Grant Williams, and Semi Ojeleye: B–
Lumping the three together feels wrong, but their impact on the night yields a similar grade. Despite not turning the ball over once in 16 minutes, Wanamaker struggled to find his shot as he went 1-6 from the field.
For Grant Williams, despite knocking down a three-pointer, he picked up four fouls in six minutes of play. Ojeleye gave his best effort guarding the 76ers bigs but failed to knock down any of three open looks from beyond the arc. The C’s cannot rely on a consistent 15 points a game from Theis as they will need to find at least some iota of scoring from the bench.
With the grades in the book, onto the Eastern Conference’s second round against the Toronto Raptors.