BOSTON -- Marcus Smart, battered and bruised from the first two games of the Celtics’ second-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, showed up to his postgame media session clutching a box of his Wicked Smarts cereal.
We’ll just assume that, like most Celtics fans, Boston’s Game 1 effort left Smart too sick to his stomach to eat over the the preceding 48 hours. A 34-point shellacking to even this series on Wednesday night was a much-needed palate cleanser and likely sweeter to the Celtics than any of the marshmallows that Smart was popping in the aftermath.
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Of course, sports are funny. The losses gnaw at you for way too long, while we spent much of the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s breezy win already pondering which Celtics team will show up for Game 3 in Philadelphia.
Ninety games into this 2022-23 season, we still don’t know what to expect from this team on a night-to-night basis. Well, that’s not entirely true. Whenever the Celtics have any reason to downshift in intensity, they tend to do such and make their lives more difficult. They always respond in the aftermath.
So it wasn’t all that much of a surprise that, even with newly minted MVP Joel Embiid back on the court for Philadelphia on Wednesday night, the Celtics steamrolled the Sixers 121-87. The Celtics shored up many of the areas that ailed them in Game 1, caught fire in the third quarter, and dispatched most of the Bus 1 Boys to close out a game in which Gino danced with 2:28 remaining.
Celtics Talk POSTGAME POD: Celtics DOMINATE Sixers in 34-point Game 2 win to even series | Listen & Subscribe
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There was a lot to like about Game 2 -- and we’ll get to that later. But you almost wish you could slam the fast forward button and get to Friday night.
Both teams will trek to Philadelphia feeling pretty good about themselves. The Sixers got a split while winning without Embiid and allowed their MVP to shake some rust with the hope he’s more himself in what’s now a best-of-five series.
The Celtics, forever complicating their path, showed in Game 2 that they are a deeper team with more total talent than the Sixers. Who would have thought the Celtics could win a game in which Jayson Tatum missed 6 of his 7 shots and scored only seven point, tet alone run away to a lopsided victory? Even while plagued by foul trouble, Tatum was plus-24 in plus/minus over 19 minutes, 20 seconds of floor time.
So what happens next? Damned if we know. You should feel pretty good about the Celtics’ chances if they take care of the basketball and defend with the intensity they showed in Game 2. If Embiid continues to look hindered by the knee, and James Harden reverts to his more common 2023 version, then Boston can regain control of this series on the road.
But that would mean the Celtics have to keep their foot on the gas instead of falling asleep at the wheel.
Boston needs to be ready to take a punch at the start of Game 3. The Wells Fargo Center will be extra lubed up on Friday night. Embiid will receive the MVP trophy on the court before the game and the Sixers will probably try to get "Boston Strangler" Andrew Toney to ring the ceremonial bell before tip.
Will the Celtics be ready? We wish we could say with more certainty. We’ll continue to stress that the only team that can prevent the Celtics from a chance at competing for Banner 18 is themselves. They need to bottle up a whole bunch of their Game 2 mojo and handle their business in Game 3 (and beyond).
Here’s the four things we liked best from Game 2:
Jaylen Brown: Fire starter
You could sense the frustration in Brown’s voice as he addressed reporters after Game 1. After a loud start to Monday’s opener, he faded into the scenery. He had too few touches and too many turnovers when he did get the ball. His teammates didn’t do him any favors, and Brown vented about not having anyone running in transition with him in key spots.
Brown didn’t wait for the ball to come to him on Wednesday. Right from the opening tip he planted himself on Harden’s right hip and made him work every possession just to get the ball over the midcourt stripe. A set play on Boston’s first possession saw Brown run off an Al Horford screen and can a straightaway 3-pointer on his way to a team-high 25 points.
Locked-in Jaylen Brown was Celtics' 'difference-maker' in Game 2 rout
“He took the challenge,” Horford told NBC Sports Boston. “He really led us. His energy, he set the tone. Honestly, it’s as good of a game as I’ve ever seen him play. He was so locked in, he was so poised. On the defensive end, his presence, and then, on offense, just being solid and continuing to make plays. He was the difference-maker for us.”
For the game, Philadelphia players were 3-of-12 shooting for just seven points when Brown was the primary defender, per NBA tracking. That included Harden scoring just one point while missing all four shots he took with Brown defending him.
"It’s a long series. First game, [Harden] had it rolling, just embracing the challenge and coming out, setting the tone on defense is going to be key on each and every guy on our team to embrace those challenges," said Brown.
Injured Smart = Best Smart?
Smart was listed as questionable in the ramp to Game 2 after aggravating a chest contusion from the Hawks series. Of course, he played through the pain and his reward was having Embiid topple on top of him early in the third quarter resulting in a right shoulder stringer and a lip laceration.
"I’m sore as s—," Smart declared as he arrived for his postgame media session.
But, much like Brown, Smart helped carry the first-quarter offense and took his defense up a level overall. Sixers players were 3-of-11 shooting for seven points when Smart was the primary defender.
Which made us wonder, does Smart play better when he’s injured?
"I think so," said Smart. "It forces me to have to lock in even more because I am hurt. So I’m trying to make sure it doesn’t become a disadvantage to me. But for some reason I do play better hurt … I pride myself on being a warrior."
Angry, pissed Joe Mazzulla
We suspect the Game 1 loss gnawed at first-year coach Joe Mazzulla more than anyone. A ruthless competitor, Mazzulla had admitted he didn’t have his team prepared and spent 48 hours in the talking-head crosshairs for Boston’s underwhelming effort.
Mazzulla gave it back a bit when, at the tail end of his postgame media session, he stood up and asked reporters, "Nobody wants to ask about all the adjustments we made from Game 1 to Game 2?"
We have no problem with Mazzulla showing a little bravado in that moment. He’s a prideful coach who certainly didn’t tell his players to go fumble the ball away 16 times in Game 1. He better utilized his personnel in Game 2, including a heftier dose of Grant Williams with Embiid back on the floor, and Boston better executed the game plan on both ends of the court.
Asked what the previous 48 hours had been like for his team, Mazzulla responded: "Pissed. Angry." Asked in a follow-up if he liked that, Mazzulla added an emphatic, "Yes."
About the only thing to quibble with Mazzulla on Wednesday night was that the fans really wanted some Blake Griffin floor time with the rest of the Bus 1 crew on the floor to close out the game and Mazzulla did not oblige.
Turning over the page (instead of the ball)
Nothing was more maddening in Game 1 than Boston’s 16 turnovers, culminating with a pair in the final minute that allowed the Sixers to steal the opener.
Boston turned the ball over just six times overall in Game 2. Through the first three quarters, the Celtics had a turnover rate of 4.3 percent, the best mark in the entire playoffs, per Cleaning the Glass data.
The Celtics’ offense was far crisper, even as players like Tatum and Horford struggled with their shots. Boston’s spacing ensured better ball security and, with Embiid upping the difficulty level near the basket, the Celtics were content to bomb away to the tune of 51 total 3-point attempts.
It was a reminder on Boston’s best path to winning this series: taking care of the basketball. The Celtics finished with 13 more shots than the Sixers and made 14 more 3-pointers than Philadelphia.
The question, of course: Can the Celtics keep that up moving forward? Can they harness the focus and intensity they displayed throughout Game 2? Game 3 can’t start soon enough.