How Celtics Collapsed Against 76ers: Slow Adjustments and Losing Identity

PHILADELPHIA — Derrick White’s night began losing the ball to Joel Embiid. He missed a put-back floater and another in the lane before double-dribbling. The Celtics guard shot around long on Thursday morning and stressed having fun as shooting struggles mounted, but by game time his postseason issues only exacerbated. Boston fell behind, 11-4, early in a critical Game 6 on the road before turning toward Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to keep the game in play for the rest of the half.

The Celtics’ meltdown late in their first round series, now heading to Game 7 after a ghastly 106-93 defeat on Thursday, by no means fall on White, who recovered nicely with a pair of threes and free throws in the second quarter, finishing 3-for-6 from deep. But they do represent Boston adjusting too slowly in another playoff series. A different team, matchup and season somehow closely resembled the events that led to their second round loss to the Knicks last spring. This time, White’s play mirrors the issues Kristaps Porziņģis faced in that series as he kept starting and logging significant minutes ahead of Luke Kornet until Game 5. By then, it was too late.

“No,” Joe Mazzulla said before Game 3 when asked if he’s seen anything contributing to White’s poor shooting.

Mazzulla finally flipped Payton Pritchard and White’s minutes, in part, by benching the starters late on Thursday and allowing Pritchard to lead a deep bench unit from down by 19 points to within 12 midway through the fourth quarter. Pritchard’s triumphs defined the highs of this series, including leading the Celtics’ last win, in Game 4, with 32 points before similarly setting the table offensively early in Game 5.

Despite red flags that emerged already to that point casting some uncertainty over Boston’s playoff sustainability, the Celtics held a golden opportunity to close out the series, 4-1, rest, reset and prepare for a rematch with the Knicks. Instead, they squandered a 13-point second half lead. White missed all three shots over 9:44. Pritchard logged four minutes and received one attempt.

“We haven’t played that well and they played well,” Mazzulla said. “I think obviously, this series has changed once Embiid came back, so you have to take a look at that and I think anytime a player comes back in one game, it’s different. They’ve found an identity and we have to be able to adjust to that identity that they found and get our identity for Game 7.”

The offensive issues speak for themselves and transcend White. Brown’s offensive fouling reached its height in Game 6 as Philadelphia’s players and coaches complained incessantly, drawing more scrutiny from officials. His shot selection inside proved difficult and his ball control deteriorated. For all the discussion that’ll follow this series about the Celtics’ three-point shooting and reliance on it, Boston’s poor looks from inside the arc doomed them and sent Philadelphia racing in transition for numerous dunks and easy scores throughout the night. Mazzulla, for whatever criticism he might deserve from this series, constantly stressed ball control going into it.

It stands to question whether he deployed the team’s best spacing units. Joel Embiid’s return marked a turning point in the Celtics’ inability to reach the rim. Yet Boston relied on Neemias Queta, primarily, through Games 5-6, whom Embiid could mostly ignore defensively while punishing on offense. Nikola Vučević didn’t fare much better at slowing the Sixers star, nor did Luka Garza, but both bigs at least gave Boston a chance to draw Embiid, and certainly Andre Drummond out of the paint. The Celtics never tried Tatum at center in the series, even against Embiid, who mostly faces-up and shoots jumper rather than backing down.

“It just felt like having a five out there has given us the best chance throughout, just with their screening and rebounding. Neemy had 11 rebounds tonight,” Mazzulla said. “They’re playing their size and we like what those fives are giving us.”

Now, Tatum will play in Game 7 with what he described as leg stiffness in the opposite one from where he tore his Achilles kept him hovering around the locker room and bike area for the final 16 minutes of Game 6. The game getting out of hand around that time, he said, contributed to him staying on the sideline, but constant conversations with trainer Nick Sang and a trip to the back to get stretched out, which Mazzulla acknowledged raise concerns for the next game and beyond. That ailment, if new, becomes the biggest drawback in the Celtics not closing the series in five games.

Mazzulla’s messaging throughout the series, however, stressed that you can’t expect to win in a certain amount of time. While aimed at keeping his team flexible and ready for any development, perhaps still important as Game 7 looms, it played out in another round going longer than it probably should have. Miscues earlier in the series allowed Embiid to return and gain momentum. He’s now looking like the most transformative force on the floor. And though it probably doesn’t matter or represent how they actually approached things behind the scenes, Mazzulla and Boston’s players strangely said they didn’t discuss or prepare for Embiid as his reinsertion loomed.

Before Game 4, Embiid’s debut, Mazzulla would not discuss the big man, saying he’s focused on that night’s game. Embiid didn’t change the series then, but his dominance against single coverage defined Game 5. Boston didn’t bring more help until early in Game 6. On offense, Brown observed that the Celtics played into the Sixers’ hands with their shot selection in the losses.

“I think we’re playing into their hands a little bit,” he said. “I definitely think even myself, the type of shots and the type of things they want us to do, that’s kind of what we’ve been doing all year, but maybe a shift in your approach could open some stuff up offensively.”

No one person will deserve all the blame if the Celtics can’t prevail in Game 7. More than likely, the team will continue upon a deserved track record of Brown and Tatum at full health keeping the franchise in the mix among contenders. Mazzulla’s stellar regular season track record and culture-building, the likely Coach of the Year, and a championship provide him more than enough credibility for another chance. The team’s developmental track record provide hope for more quality drafting and depth further down the roster.

For a franchise that stresses championships above all else, Mazzulla’s postseason track record does warrant some assessment. The biggest frustration following this one would be how all season, he stressed utilizing the team’s depth, waves of energetic wings and playing the hot hand off the bench. He quickly pulled players not contributing to winning, beginning the preseason with a hockey line change. Garza’s spot minutes did not turn into consistent involvement in this series, only receiving a second quarter rotation with Scheierman and filling in during foul trouble. Hugo González and Ron Harper Jr. did not appear across the first six series rotations. Mazzulla, who benched Brown multiple times during the regular season, proved less willing to pivot away from struggling starters into April.

Of course, there’s still one game to make those changes, play with urgency and a win provides an even larger chance to evaluate, practice and utilizes advantages against a new opponent. The Celtics hit 16, 20 and 24 threes in their wins during this series, and another big shooting night could erase all their lapses from this series on Saturday. It won’t totally absolve their game plan making a series they appeared to have a clear edge in early on into a shooting contest by dropping defensively and ignoring certain shooters.

All year, the Celtics developed guardrails to allow for wins on off shooting nights. They haven’t persisted into the postseason, even as their offensive rebounding numbers increased.

“They’re a good team, so you’re not gonna win every game,” Pritchard said on Thursday when asked to explain that.

Another loss, and falling short of round two, would prove difficult to swallow given the success and astounding health this group maintained all season. The uncertainty in the conference as other contenders falter. The career years achieved across the board that you can’t necessarily expect to repeat. Many considered the Celtics prohibitive favorites in the East as they cruised to finish the season and built a 3-1 edge into round one.

They’re on the verge of squandering another incredible opportunity.

“I’ve been fortunate to be on a lot of really good teams. You never want to take for granted the opportunity to be on a team that’s contending for a championship,” Tatum said in March.