In the Post- Sixers Fall to the Celtics

In The Post... Sixers fall to the Celtics, 126-117 in the season opener

Not the least bit surprising when facing off against the Sixers, but the Celtics sent a double team immediately as the ball was in flight before reaching the fingertips of Joel Embiid. With Al Horford as the primary defender for Boston and Defensive Player of the Year candidate Robert Williams out for the start of the season due to injury, the gameplan was clear. Horford does a solid job with the defensive fundamentals of defending Embiid, but like most, he needs some help to slow him down. Embiid landed on 26 points, a game-high 15 rebounds, five assists, and a game-high six turnovers. That needs to be cleaned up.

Too many live-ball turnovers. Last season, the Celtics' defense was very good under first-year head coach Ime Udoka, but with him out for the year, interim head coach Joe Mazzulla now has the reigns and will keep the same defensive principles with a talented group. As much credit as one would like to give Boston’s defense, too many unforced errors by Philadelphia. Yes, the Celtics showed Embiid extra bodies but the big fella needs to do a better job of not rushing and staying under control when the attention finds him. This is nothing new. He’s too good to bail the opposition out.

Tobias Harris got off to a great start in the first quarter for Philadelphia. The ten-year vet contributed eight points in the opening frame and got it done in different ways and that will be of importance going forward. Cutting, shot-ready on Embiid double teams and James Harden passes -- recognizing when he has a mismatch, taking the smaller player to the low-block for a shot opportunity. Harris will be a key player this season for Philadelphia. Not just in terms of points and rebounds, but leadership, professionalism and basketball IQ will be on display. Why? Well... Harris has been a 17+ point per game scorer for the last seven seasons -- coming into the 2022-23 campaign that looks to be in jeopardy for a few reasons. Rarely does he have plays called for him so he’ll have to find his within the flow of any given possession as the fourth offensive option? It’s also important for James Harden as the point guard to keep him in involved and try to get him some easy looks. An encouraging start for Harris in game one as he finished with 18 points.

Harden was tremendous. He took a while to get things going in the first, running the offense and trying to get others' quality looks. That wasn’t working the way you would like. Once he settled things down, the 10-time All-Star was aggressively looking for his. Harden was fouled on three separate occasions behind the three-point line, one a four-point play. The 76ers floor general made all eight of his free throw attempts and hit big shots to pace the visitors with 22 first-half points. A positive sign for a team with many expectations. He even dropped a few defenders for style points with his patented step-back move but didn’t make the shot for deep. C’mon, James! Harden finished with a game-high 35 points (along with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown), adding eight boards and seven assists. If he can keep this up... watch out.

Tatum is still very, very good. What can you say? It was too easy for him in the win. The three-time All-Star got it done within the flow of the offense, but much like what was mentioned earlier in regard to Embiid... the younger Tatum handled the pressure much better. In the past, Matisse Thybulle has defended the three-time All-Star decently over the years but saw only 23 seconds of play on Tuesday night. Offense may not be Thybulle’s strong suit but at least has the reputation and history of making the Celtics star work. Something to watch going forward. Brown is good too as he also netted 35 with big second (14) and fourth (13) quarters.

Malcolm Brogdon will be a big addition for Boston. The offseason acquisition didn’t start but made a huge impact off the bench. His steadiness as a ballhandler, efficiency on the offensive end, and defensive acumen will undoubtedly help an already smart group. He ended the game with 16, Grant Williams was perfect from the floor (5-5 FG, 3-3 3FG) and poured in 15 to help lead the bench unit. The Celtics reserves outscored the Sixers, 34-11.

24-2... that was the separation in fast break points as the Celtics literally ran away with this category. Those live-action turnovers allowed Boston to use this to their advantage, getting out in the open floor with a numbers advantage and finishing. The Sixers need to flip this going forward. Transition buckets can be your friend.

We saw much of the same problems of Sixers' past in the season opener. Slow, turnovers, opponents destroying the perimeter defense, and lack of ball movement. It’s only game one so need to panic. An opportunity to bounce back on Thursday for the home opener against another Eastern Conference contender – the Milwaukee Bucks.