3 Underrated keys to the Boston Celtics beating the 76ers
By Ben Grunert
The best two-way guard play in the league
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown may stand out with their box-office scoring and superstar status, but make no mistake about it. They aren’t the only dynamic duo in Boston.
Derrick White and Marcus Smart make up the best two-way backcourt in the league, and they have given Philly fits all season.
In particular, rising star Tyrese Maxey has struggled mightily when faced with Boston’s sublime perimeter defenders. The size and physicality of White and Smart, along with their versatile switchability, tend to cause problems for players of Maxey’s stature.
Smart, the reigning DPOY, has shown the ability to guard players as big as Giannis Antetokounmpo. At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Smart plays defense like he’s 6-foot-8. Meanwhile, White led the NBA in total blocks among guards this season with 76 rejections. The 6-foot-4 guard also averaged 1.3 blocks per game in the first round against Atlanta.
Maxey, who averaged 20.3 points per game this season, is just 6-foot-2. The 22-year-old combo guard scored less than 10 points only seven times all season. Three of those outings came against Boston.
Maxey averaged 10 points through four games versus Boston, shooting 35.4% from the floor and even worse from beyond the arc. Despite shooting 43.4% from deep across 60 games this season, Maxey sank an abysmal 21.4% of his 3-point tries against the Celtics.
Operating as Philly’s third-highest scorer, Maxey attempted 15.2 shots per game during the season. Against Boston, he shot the ball 12 times per game.
White and Smart anchor one of the most disciplined perimeter defenses in the league.
Armed with the NBA’s second-best defensive rating, the Celtics held opponents to the second-fewest assists per game and the third-lowest 3-point percentage all season long.
Boston’s perimeter defenders contest jumpers at a high rate, and players like White and Smart especially excel at guarding without fouling. In fact, the Celtics ranked bottom five in fouls committed this season, all while putting on a clinic of suffocating defense.
Due to their discipline on the defensive end, the Cs allowed the second-lowest number of both free throw makes and attempts this season. That stat could spell trouble for Philly, who led the league in both free throws made and free throw percentage.
In a playoff environment, NBA referees typically swallow their whistles more often, allowing a more physical brand of defense. The Sixers witnessed this firsthand when they averaged just 15.3 free throw attempts in the first round after attempting 25.1 per game in the regular season.
Boston’s lethal combination of defensive size and IQ could shrink the margins for Philly and its half-court offense, especially if Embiid misses any time.