3 Underrated keys to the Boston Celtics beating the 76ers
By Ben Grunert
Ball movement beats talent when talent doesn’t move the ball
All season long, Boston moved the basketball at an elite level. They finished No. 7 leaguewide in assists per game, and they finished top five in both assist percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio. The postseason Celtics have continued to spread the wealth, currently averaging the most assists and the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the playoffs.
On the other hand, Philly has ranked bottom five in assists per game, assist percentage, and assist-to-turnover ratio this postseason. The Sixers average fewer assists and more turnovers than the Celtics, which should give Boston fans an extra boost of confidence.
Through their selfless brand of team basketball, the Celtics should create far more efficient looks than Philly in a playoff setting. The third-seeded Sixers led the league in 3-point percentage this season, but they averaged 10 fewer long-range attempts than Boston, who drained the second-most threes this season behind the Warriors.
When the game slows down and half-court offense prevails, teams like Boston have the formula for success.
Swinging the ball and 3-point shooting go hand in hand, and that was evident in the Celtics-Sixers season series.
In four regular-season meetings, Boston’s ball movement reigned supreme as it generated 24.3 assists per contest to the tune of 41.3% shooting from deep and 15.5 threes per game. Meanwhile, Philly averaged a porous 19 assists to create just 10.8 threes per game on a 35.5% clip.
In this particular matchup, Philly’s personnel has not met Boston’s perimeter attack with much resistance.
As long as the Celtics continue to emphasize passing in their offense, they should maintain their sharpshooting success against their rivals. When the Celtics keep the ball moving, they raise the ceiling of their offense and play to their biggest strengths.
In an interview with Boston media, head coach Joe Mazzulla explained how the team should handle themselves when they face off against the Sixers.
"“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how they (the 76ers) play. We have to be prepared to make the right reads. We have to be prepared to have the proper spacing. We have to be prepared to manage the game with our offense.”"
Boston has guarded Philly as well as anyone this season, holding them to just 106.5 points per game. In comparison, the Miami Heat were the lowest-scoring team during the regular season and still averaged 109.5 points per game.
In their quartet of Boston matchups, the Sixers saw their 3-point makes, 3-point attempts, field goal percentage, and 3-point percentage all dip below their season average. More importantly, the Sixers averaged 6.2 fewer assists than usual when they took on the Celtics.
All in all, Philly’s tendency to rely on isolation offense could seriously hurt them in the second round.