Three Takeaways From Boston’s Game 2 Drubbing Of The Sixers

The Sixers came out firing on all cylinders to start Game 2, leading by as many as 14 points in the first quarter behind a magnificent performance by Joel Embiid. In somewhat classic fashion for both teams, though, Boston was undeterred by the deficit they faced, while Philly struggled to keep up their high level of play.

It certainly helped the Celtics that Tatum was nuclear hot. Despite getting hounded by Matisse Thybulle — who was inserted into the team’s starting lineup with the explicit goal of checking Tatum — Boston’s young star went for 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting in the first half. He also knocked down five of his six attempts from deep. While Embiid was terrific, scoring 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists, the Celtics went into the half up 65-57.

After the two teams came out of the locker room, the Celtics began pouring it on. They hammered Philly throughout the third quarter and stretched their lead to as many as 22 during the frame. By the time the fourth started, all that could save the Sixers was a miracle that never came. Final score: Boston 128, Philadelphia 101. Here are three takeaways from a game where the overarching takeaway was “one team looks like a title contender, while the other is stuck in a rut at the worst time.”

Jayson Tatum Can Score Against Anyone On The Sixers

With Ben Simmons out, the task of checking Tatum — who was primarily marked by Simmons during their previous matchups this year — was going to fall on a hodgepodge of players. Josh Richardson wasn’t able to get all that much done during Game 1, while Tobias Harris is just not the kind of guy you want to check a crafty scorer like Tatum. Matisse Thybulle did a nice job in spot duty in Game 1, and as a result, Brett Brown inserted him into the starting lineup.

The result: Thybulle battled admirably, but there wasn’t much he can do, because Tatum played like an All-NBA scorer. Tatum had 33 points on 12-for-20 shooting and hit eight of his 12 attempts from three. No matter what Philly threw at him — Thybulle or anyone else — Tatum was locked in.

Now, Philadelphia’s best answer for guarding Tatum is hurt. Their two best answers among players who are able to play got cooked back-to-back. Their best answer going forward might be to just accept that Tatum is going to score in droves and try to slow down everyone else. The Celtics, however, will happily take that trade, because when Tatum is in a groove, there aren’t many guys in the league who can get buckets like him.

Boston’s Going To Be Tough To Beat If Its Bench Plays Like This

Enes Kanter, Romeo Langford, Brad Wanamaker, and Grant Williams all gave the team good minutes. Boston has a lot of ways that it can beat teams, something that is particularly true when Gordon Hayward is healthy and able to suit up. Obviously single-game +/- is a risky stat to use, but…

Kanter: 22 minutes, +24
Langford: 23 minutes, +26
Wanamaker: 23 minutes, +28
Williams: 21 minutes, +13

Brad Stevens is a very, very good coach who knows how and when to throw different wrinkles into a gameplan. Their starting five — and, let’s face it, Marcus Smart is basically a sixth starter — can help them win any game. Having a bench that can consistently get them over the hump would be gigantic, particularly against deep squads like Milwaukee and Toronto. I am assuming those matchups might happen because…

I Can’t Believe It’s Come To This In Philly

Here’s a tweet.

Here’s another.

There was a time when the Sixers were in a position where, barring something completely insane happening, they’d be title contenders every year. And then, a whole lot of wrong decisions were made, putting them into the situation they’re in now. It certainly feels like we are two games away from Boston sweeping them, at which point a gigantic overhaul — of their front office, of their coaching staff, of their roster — seems on the table. Maybe even more damning, it feels necessary unless something radical changes before Friday night’s Game 3.