There probably couldn't have been a much more ideal start to the Boston Celtics' postseason run. They dominated Game 1 and made easy work of the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden on Sunday thanks to strong performances from Jayson Tatum (25 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals) and Jaylen Brown (26 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals).
Here's what stood out:
This game is a perfect example why the Nikola Vucevic trade was a win for the Celtics
These first few months in Boston haven’t exactly been kind to Nikola Vucevic. He’s struggled to play consistently well, and missed a month due to a broken right ring finger. Nonetheless, in a game like Sunday’s the front office’s decision to trade Anfernee Simons for the big man made perfect sense.
Vucevic’s presence alone was enough to be a difference maker for the Celtics. Once Neemias Queta got picked up two quick fouls, they were able to call to their bench and feel confident that the substitution wouldn’t kill all of their momentum.
When the 35-year-old picked up a second foul of his own, Boston was then able to turn to Luka Garza, who’s proven to be a reliable option all season.
This is what coaches talk about when they say they’re thankful to make tough decisions in their rotation, ala Vucevic vs. Garza. When things go awry, it’s great to just have a proven guy waiting to have his number called.
Jayson Tatum sees those 76ers uniforms and it’s on
Jayson Tatum has met the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs three times. He’s advanced three times.
He made it clear that he was hoping to make it four for four this afternoon.
Right from the opening tip, Tatum did everything for Boston, piling up points, rebounds, and assists.
By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, the five-time All-NBA wing had already tallied 21 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, as his Celtics put the hurt on the 76ers.
Tatum finished the afternoon with a 25-point, 11-rebound double-double, and had seven assists and two steals on the side.
It was a strong return to the postseason for No. 0.
Expect better from Philly going forward… probably?
Make no mistake, the Celtics controlled this game from end to end. They executed well on offense, moved the ball well, and got stops any time Philly tried to make a push.
With that being said, the Sixers were horrid in Game 1.
They couldn’t put the ball in the basket. They couldn’t stop Boston from putting the ball in the basket. None of their role players gave them a significant boost.
This was the sort of game that Nick Nurse is going to look at and just tell his players to flush it.
Up until they were already down by 32 with about nine minutes to play, Philadelphia had made just three of their first 20 attempts from long range.
There were probably three total minutes where they looked remotely like a threat. With how close three of their four games against Boston were this year (albeit all early in the season) it’s tough to think they won’t play better than this, right?
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