There aren’t many better ways that the Boston Celtics could’ve started their playoff series than what went down on Sunday afternoon. Boston controlled Game 1 in wire-to-wire fashion. They never wavered whenever the Philadelphia 76ers put together comeback attempts and coasted to a franchise-record 32-point victory in the series opener.
An aspect that flew under the radar as the TD Garden crowd belted out “We Want Boston Chants” was the lack of mileage the Celtics had to put on their starters, none of which surpassed 33 minutes played.
Both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White sat the entire fourth quarter, while Neemias Queta, Jayson Tatum, and Sam Hauser saw out the final frame and kept the Sixers at bay.
For a team looking to put together a deep playoff run, managing those minutes can be crucial.
That aspect becomes even more important when considering the many deep runs this core has endured over the years. Tatum (4,757) and Brown (4,554) rank first and second, respectively, in total playoff minutes since Brown entered the league in 2017. White ranks 25th with 2,511.
The extra rest is extra special for Tatum
Though Tatum has been back in Boston’s lineup for over a month now, it’s always going to be beneficial to give him as much of a break as possible.
“I’m proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish, and return to play and all those things,” Tatum told reporters postgame. “There was many a days where I wasn’t sure I was gonna play this season, let alone get a chance to play today. So I’m overly just kind of grateful that I’m in this position right now.”
His 25-point, 11-rebound double-double came during his climb back to peak performance, which he hasn’t reached yet, according to him.
“I’m still rehabbing,” Tatum added. “I still attack rehab every single day for when we have off-days.”
If the dominant display the five-time All-NBA forward put on against Philly wasn’t peak, then Celtics fans have plenty to be excited about this spring.
Tatum’s first half looked as close to 100% as any stretch he’s put together since returning. Not only did he fill the stat sheet, but he also hung with Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey quite well on the defensive end.
Maxey, a top-five scorer in the league this season, isn’t an easy cover for anyone because of his next-level quickness -- especially a guy like Tatum who’s still technically getting his legs back underneath him.
JT held the speedy scorer to just two points on 1-5 from the field.
Boston will have a chance to push their series lead to 2-0 when they host Philadelphia for Game 2 on Tuesday night.
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