For the last few seasons, the Boston Celtics have built an elite offense by overwhelming opponents with three-point shooting and ball movement. When the shots aren’t falling, like they weren’t in Thursday’s Game 6 loss, that offense looks very ordinary.
The Philadelphia 76ers held the Celtics under 100 points for the second straight game in a 106-93 victory that forced a Game 7 Saturday in Boston. The Celtics shot 29 percent from three-point range, and Tyrese Maxey (30 points) nearly outscored the duo of Jaylen Brown (18) and Jayson Tatum (17) by himself.
Boston Celtics are only as good as their three-point shooting
In Game 2, the Celtics shot 13-of-50 on threes and lost by 14 points. In Game 5, the Celtics went 11-of-39 behind the arc and they lost by 16 points. In Game 6, the Celtics shot 12-of-41 on three-pointers and lost by 13.
Do you notice a pattern? When the Celtics aren’t making their three-pointers, they have a painfully ordinary offense, one that hasn’t cracked 100 points in any of their three losses in this first-round series. In Game 6, the three-point-heavy approach meant they only drew 16 free-throw attempts — and they couldn’t make those either, going 7-of-16.
Maybe the return of Joel Embiid has deterred the Celtics from going to the hoop, even when he’s clearly not 100 percent after coming back from his appendectomy. Or it could be that Tatum doesn’t feel comfortable driving, after a game where he sat out the last 16 minutes with a sore left calf. Luckily for the Celtics, it was the right leg where Tatum tore his Achilles tendon last season.
Boston Celtics need Jaylen Brown to step up in Game 7
Brown was incredible this season, carrying the Celtics when they didn’t have Tatum for much of the season. In the last two games, Brown is shooting 40 percent and only 3-of-10 from three-point range. He’s only 5-of-11 on free throws, which is bad shooting and also a small number of attempts. Thursday, he only got a single rebound.
It may be that the 76ers’ athletic young backcourt of Maxey and VJ Edgecombe is bothering Brown. He may have just had two rough nights in a row. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla sat Brown with the Celtics trailing by 23 points early in the fourth quarter, and while the reserves cut the lead to 14, the Sixers pushed it back to 20 and Brown never got back in the game.
At least Brown should be rested for Game 7. And if he’s rested, he needs to use that energy to go to the basket, or the Celtics might end up with their third shocking playoff defeat in four years.
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