Boston Celtics (1-0) 105 - 87 Philadelphia 76ers (0-1)

First published October 17th 2018

Let's get it out of the way: the shooting was awful. And it's not about how good those defenses are, which they are. You can understand how sloppy the start was but once all the scrambling had stopped the shots never really connected nonetheless.

So seeing Embiid going up defensively against different matchups was most of my fun when the game was still finding itself. They kept him mostly on Tatum, avoiding the problematic Horford matchup from last years playoffs, but the team isn't afraid to switch anything. Sure, you can use a screen to force a switch, taking the center out of the paint and opening up your own big man. And the you're blocked by the freaking opposing point guard who happens to be an Aussie freak of nature.

For this first half, Boston was mostly giving the ball to whoever's turn it happens to be and then letting them work. It improved later on so maybe it's just everyone readjusting. Rozier/Smart/Tatum/Hayward/Baynes is going to kill most second quarter units in the NBA and it that unit was the only one in the first half that really got some upper hand. Seriously, Baynes' rebounding alone justifies his minutes. He's amazing at guarding Embiid. A remarkable second half by him all around.

Rozier was such a spark, maybe the only guy that produced ISO 3's on the night for his team. Game high +22. I find it interesting that in a effort to give him extra minutes they took out Tatum earlier, keeping both Terry and Irving on the court. Jason would return for a long stint with the second unit.

I still don't like Embiid picking up the ball above the break. There seems to be a tendency to end in a turnover or in a missed shot. He needs to engage in those plays less frequently and improve his decision making. A lot of many, many turnovers the Sixers had were from similar scenarios. He did much better in those spots whey they ran a play having a ball handler run off a pair of screens.

Allow me to mark out over this sequence for a sec... Alright.

Can't really pinpoint why but the 1st half's catastrophic turnover problem for Philly was over after halftime. To be fair, the pace seemed to slow down in the second half but that's me talking about perception. Baynes bullying people on the offensive board might have been a part of them running a bit less.

In the second half, a mostly passive Irving started to become more engaged but struggled massively. Some plays he still created the look but in others you see how smothering playing against the Sixers can be. His inability to get anything going played a big role in the Philly run during this portion, almost evening up the game. They really do a great job at "tricking" players into attacking 1v1 with early switching and then they collapse everything on you, effectively stagnating the opponent this way. Tatum scraping buckets once substitutions started to occur allowed for momentum to come to a half.

As the game went to the final quarter, Boston once again starts to create movement in their offense they start amplifying their advantage. I'll admit to not playing any attention to most of the final 4 minutes. In the end the Sixers never really felt close to making a comeback. Not that the C's were being that dominant but since the shooting never really picked up for anyone, the separation from both bench runs on both halves was enough.

In some other notes:

Watching Fultz, most of his shots had a good flow to it. But I need to see him shoot a three. The lack of spacing taking Reddick out and adding a rangeless Fultz is far from ideal.

Kyrie was in a off night. Respect to Brad to sit him in the last five minutes. Hayward must be praised for his active hands on defense though. He's got great read of the game.

Horford has fully accepted his role is to facilitate for others. Setting screens to open up people and be a good inside-out passer. It's the only way to give enough shots to the many players who crave them.

I'd go to war for Ben Simmons. Him running the court in a fast break might is absolute nightmare fuel for an opposing team. How do you even prepare for it?. He was the brightest star tonight to me, even in defeat. Not to insult the other sophomore stud in this game. Tatum is an offensive force that you can give the ball to anytime you're in need and his scoring tonight showed it. He was the guy they went with to close this out. Dude's established.

Not trying to stir stuff but after being stared down by Tatum after a tough make, Embiid clearly was more focused in responding than playing smartly...

In conclusion, the game was entertaining enough for anyone that has been craving the arrival of the NBA season. The Sixers are a defensive force that need more spacing a their bench lacks scoring, and the way it was outscored was much of what dictated this result. Those turnovers are a desperate fix if they are aiming for higher altitudes. The Celtics still need to figure out their new dynamics on offense and Brad is still experimenting with subs and crunch time. However, with the amount of options they have and how reliable guys like Rozier, Baynes and Morris are, it will only grow from what we saw tonight. This was definitely a group win above all else.

It's the first game of the season, even i am still trying to find my way back into it. Nothing means that much yet for what we might see over the year, let's just have fun. And let's hope both teams make their shots next time we see them.

(Reddit)