76ers (34-16) at Celtics (25-25) Game #51 4/6/21

[Ed Monix]

Washburn still pushing the free throw disparity with JT now. JT trying to figure out how to answer it tactfully 

I can't stand Washburn and his negativity. All he does it come up with problems (not factoring in the situation) and no solutions.

I'd hate to be his family if he brings that attitude to other aspects of his life.

[Celtics4ever]

Embiid is impressive, but the rest of the Sixers team isn't. If it was any other year I wouldn't think of them as a contender, but in the year of the plaque, a one superstar team might sneak through.

Embiid has always been one of the chosen ones.   The league subsidizes him and his production with FTAs.   His 20 FTAs last night  were two more than our whole team took.   But no one can defend him the way the call the game on him.  He is a great player but the NBA helps him a lot.  For whatever reason our stars never get the star treatment like the Embiid, LeBrons or Giannis types.

I will say this I think Doc ran him into the ground.   He looks heavier again, and you could see a decline in his endurance.   I think if a team runs he will be in trouble.   I think they will have to be extemely luck to win it this year and the way he was running looked labored.  I could see him getting injury again.   That leg brace was huge.  I doubt they can beat NJ and I think sadly we are starting to see the physical decline of Embiid start to get worse.

But one thing about Philly they add to their roster every year and get rid of guys who don't play well  and are not ran like an for orphanage of G league castoffs like the Celtics. 

[boscel33]

Embiid is impressive, but the rest of the Sixers team isn't. If it was any other year I wouldn't think of them as a contender, but in the year of the plaque, a one superstar team might sneak through.

Embiid has always been one of the chosen ones.   The league subsidizes him and his production with FTAs.   His 20 FTAs last night  were two more than our whole team took.   But no one can defend him the way the call the game on him.  He is a great player but the NBA helps him a lot.  For whatever reason our stars never get the star treatment like the Embiid, LeBrons or Giannis types.

I will say this I think Doc ran him into the ground.   He looks heavier again, and you could see a decline in his endurance.   I think if a team runs he will be in trouble.   I think they will have to be extemely luck to win it this year and the way he was running looked labored.  I could see him getting injury again.   That leg brace was huge.  I doubt they can beat NJ and I think sadly we are starting to see the physical decline of Embiid start to get worse.

But one thing about Philly they add to their roster every year and get rid of guys who don't play well  and are not ran like an for orphanage of G league castoffs like the Celtics.

So, I guess if the league is going to continue, then teams need to make every foul count and beat up on him a bit harder.  Let see if he can take the toll of 80's NBA!

[SHAQATTACK]

Embiid is impressive, but the rest of the Sixers team isn't. If it was any other year I wouldn't think of them as a contender, but in the year of the plaque, a one superstar team might sneak through.

Embiid has always been one of the chosen ones.   The league subsidizes him and his production with FTAs.   His 20 FTAs last night  were two more than our whole team took.   But no one can defend him the way the call the game on him.  He is a great player but the NBA helps him a lot.  For whatever reason our stars never get the star treatment like the Embiid, LeBrons or Giannis types.

I will say this I think Doc ran him into the ground.   He looks heavier again, and you could see a decline in his endurance.   I think if a team runs he will be in trouble.   I think they will have to be extemely luck to win it this year and the way he was running looked labored.  I could see him getting injury again.   That leg brace was huge.  I doubt they can beat NJ and I think sadly we are starting to see the physical decline of Embiid start to get worse.

But one thing about Philly they add to their roster every year and get rid of guys who don't play well  and are not ran like an for orphanage of G league castoffs like the Celtics.

Preach bro ..TP

[jambr380]

Embiid is impressive, but the rest of the Sixers team isn't. If it was any other year I wouldn't think of them as a contender, but in the year of the plaque, a one superstar team might sneak through.

Embiid has always been one of the chosen ones.   The league subsidizes him and his production with FTAs.   His 20 FTAs last night  were two more than our whole team took.   But no one can defend him the way the call the game on him.  He is a great player but the NBA helps him a lot.  For whatever reason our stars never get the star treatment like the Embiid, LeBrons or Giannis types.

I will say this I think Doc ran him into the ground.   He looks heavier again, and you could see a decline in his endurance.   I think if a team runs he will be in trouble.   I think they will have to be extemely luck to win it this year and the way he was running looked labored.  I could see him getting injury again.   That leg brace was huge.  I doubt they can beat NJ and I think sadly we are starting to see the physical decline of Embiid start to get worse.

But one thing about Philly they add to their roster every year and get rid of guys who don't play well  and are not ran like an for orphanage of G league castoffs like the Celtics.

This seems like a questionable argument. The Horford signing may not have worked out for them, but he is still a good player - better than Danny Green who they traded him for (along with picks). The Richardson for Curry trade has also worked out nicely, but Richardson is as good as Curry.

They went into the playoffs last year without their 2nd best player in Simmons - of course they were going to get smoked. The year before they may very well have been in the Finals if it wasn't for a lucky Kawhi bounce. It's not like they added to their team when they lost Butler for nothing.

The Cs lost Hayward, finally found a suitable replacement in Fournier, and now he's out. Pretending the Cs - who have had horrific luck with injuries/Covid - are in a much worse place moving forward than this invincible Sixers team just isn't taking into account all of the things that have gone wrong this season. There is still time to turn it around, but probably not in the regular season. It would be cool to be the team going into the playoffs healthy for a change.

[tazzmaniac]

Embiid is impressive, but the rest of the Sixers team isn't. If it was any other year I wouldn't think of them as a contender, but in the year of the plaque, a one superstar team might sneak through.

Embiid has always been one of the chosen ones.   The league subsidizes him and his production with FTAs.   His 20 FTAs last night  were two more than our whole team took.   But no one can defend him the way the call the game on him.  He is a great player but the NBA helps him a lot.  For whatever reason our stars never get the star treatment like the Embiid, LeBrons or Giannis types.

I will say this I think Doc ran him into the ground.   He looks heavier again, and you could see a decline in his endurance.   I think if a team runs he will be in trouble.   I think they will have to be extemely luck to win it this year and the way he was running looked labored.  I could see him getting injury again.   That leg brace was huge.  I doubt they can beat NJ and I think sadly we are starting to see the physical decline of Embiid start to get worse.

But one thing about Philly they add to their roster every year and get rid of guys who don't play well  and are not ran like an for orphanage of G league castoffs like the Celtics.

If you don't want Embiid going to the line so much, play fundamental defense and stop fouling so much.  Embiid, Giannis, Lebron, etc draw fouls because they are smart and aggressive.  They force the officials to make the foul calls.  Our current players and coach are just happy to shoot jumpers.  If you want to look back several years, all 5'9" 185lb IT4 shot 5.2 (in 26 MPG), 6.6 and 8.5 FTAs in successive seasons.  The most Tatum and Brown FTAs have shot are 4.7 and 4.3.     

Embiid is having an MVP level season.  He is just coming back after sitting out for 3 weeks due to a bone bruise.  Hence the knee brace and his sluggishness.  Prior to that the talk was that he was in excellent condition this season, at least for him.   

[Celtics4ever]

If you don't want Embiid going to the line so much, play fundamental defense and stop fouling so much.  Embiid, Giannis, Lebron, etc draw fouls because they are smart and aggressive. 

Do you really think it is that simple?   We really don't have a guy on our roster that can match up with a 270 lb big guy.   I say that as  huge big Rob Williams fan.   You can try all you want and play fundamentally you're still not going to get the close calls in these match ups because their stars and the league spends a lot of money marketing them and want them to do well.   

Fundamental defense, and stop fouling so much.   Do you think these guys want to sit?    You could get down in your defensive stance and bend your knees and your going to get knocked around and fouls called with these guys.   Smart is one of the best at playing these types because he gets into their space and flops on contact.  Rob does not possess these skills.  You've got to sacrifice quite a bit of your body to guard these types or be stronger than them to hold their space.    We don't have that guy and I love Rob at the Five.   All the fundamentals in the world does not change that fact.   

They force the officials to make the foul calls.

This line of argument falls apart when we all see phantom fouls on these guys to a large degree than the rest of the league.

Our current players and coach are just happy to shoot jumpers.  If you want to look back several years, all 5'9" 185lb IT4 shot 5.2 (in 26 MPG), 6.6 and 8.5 FTAs in successive seasons.  The most Tatum and Brown FTAs have shot are 4.7 and 4

How many times have you seem them drive and get knocked down with no calls.   I see it a lot.   They are not treated the same as the above subsidized guys.   The NBA has always had star calls.     I will use Steph Curry as an example

https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/steph-curry-fta-per-game

5.5 FTAs per game more than our guys and even more perimeter orientated.   Trae Young is a jump shooter and shoots 8.5 FTA.  Beal shoots 8 FTA
PG

https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/player-stat/free-throws-attempted

So it is not always about being perimeter guys.  I think this is a false narrative.   Brown and Tatum get almost no respect from the refs.   I know people state they complain but all those stars do too and they get the calls.   I am not saying we lost because of the refs, Philly was the better more physical team.   But it is sheer naivety to think stars do not get calls in the NBA.   There are massive marketing dollars typed up in these assets and money runs the world.

Embiid has been helped since the begining of his career as he shot 7.87 FTAs.  The same was true of LeBron.   These guys also could be called for pushoffs, dropping the shoulder and like about every plays but don't because they are stars.   When Tatum does this stuff the refs drop the hammer on them.

Embiid is having an MVP level season.  He is just coming back after sitting out for 3 weeks due to a bone bruise.  Hence the knee brace and his sluggishness.  Prior to that the talk was that he was in excellent condition this season, at least for him.   

I know, but did you see that last night?   He looked heavy and was laboring.   Mark my words the wheels could come off that bus any second.  It has always been a problem for him and it will continue to do so.  Doc plays his guys a lot and it might hurt them down the road as his knee is balky at best.

[ozgod]

Washburn still pushing the free throw disparity with JT now. JT trying to figure out how to answer it tactfully 

I can't stand Washburn and his negativity. All he does it come up with problems (not factoring in the situation) and no solutions.

I'd hate to be his family if he brings that attitude to other aspects of his life.

Here's Washburn's article and yes it focused on the Celtics' inability to draw fouls and get easy shots at the line.

Celtics’ symptoms of defeat familiar in mistake-laden loss to 76ers
By Gary Washburn Globe Staff,Updated April 6, 2021, 1 hour ago


It was highly likely the Celtics weren’t quite ready for the Philadelphia 76ers, even though it’s Game 51. It’s been that kind of season for the Celtics. They don’t know what they’re going to get from themselves on any particular night, but the chances the Celtics would play well enough to beat an elite team was remote.

They were already missing Evan Fournier, who is now in the COVID-19 protocol for at least the next few days, as the Celtics have become numbed to bad breaks and setbacks.

But their 106-96 loss to the 76ers, punctuated by a 19-2 Philadelphia second-quarter run, was so reminiscent of many of their past losses to quality teams this season.

The Celtics were a few mistakes from making this a competitive game. But the symptoms of defeat were familiar. The Celtics committed 22 turnovers, fouled too [dang] much — as usual — and relied too heavily on the 3-point shot.

Of the 27 field goal attempts from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, 17 were 3-pointers. The Celtics, completely intimidated by Embiid, just stopped attacking the rim. Embiid played 33 minutes and committed one foul, which occurred with 5:50 left in the game and the Celtics down 20.

So they didn’t make Embiid work on defense at all. They settled for 3-pointers or forced themselves into bad shots with indecisiveness. Defensively, the Celtics again fell for all of Embiid’s tricks. He attempted 20 free throws and single-handedly fouled out Robert Williams in 14 minutes.

The Celtics just weren’t prepared for this challenge. The 76ers are so much more advanced and confident at this point. The Celtics needed standout games from at least two of their Big Three – Brown, Tatum, and Walker – and none responded.

Brown just seemed distant Tuesday. He was not sharp on defense and committed some uncharacteristic turnovers. Tatum only reached the free throw line three times.

What’s more, Ben Simmons attempted more free throws than Tatum and Brown combined, a sign of a lack of aggressiveness and lack of physicality.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens attributed the free throw disparity (39 to 18) to the Sixers just being more physical and imposing. Philadelphia is No. 1 in the NBA in free throws attempted at 26.3 per game, so that’s always going to be an issue for the perimeter-heavy Celtics; but it’s a major problem when the 76ers shoot 13 above their season average.

“Obviously, both of our guys are learning some of that (physical) stuff but they do as much in the perimeter as they do in (the paint),” Stevens said. “That’s not a knock. That’s just who they are as players. Not everybody is going to be able to get to the free throw line the same. But it’s a problem for our team over time.”

Which begs the question, do Brown and Tatum need to learn some of those veteran tricks? Simmons has perhaps the most limited half-court offensive game for an elite player in recent history but averages more free throw attempts per game than Brown or Tatum.

“They’re just super physical for their position,” Stevens said of Embiid and Simmons. “Our guys are doing what they can and doing all the right stuff but maybe they can add a trick or two or free throw or two.”

The Celtics are being burned by their reputation of being a finesse perimeter team. When Brown, Tatum, or Walker do attack the basket, they generally don’t get the calls, even when there’s contact. So if the Celtics can’t score easy points, then that places more pressure to hit jumpers.

And the team needs Walker to be better in that category. He was 6 for 14 shooting for 14 points but those points weren’t impactful. The Celtics need Walker to carry the offensive early or match the opposing point guard with buckets, but that rarely happens. Walker generally gets off to slow starts, scores in a couple of spurts, but doesn’t give the offense a lifeline when needed.

That puts more pressure on Tatum and Brown and even Marcus Smart to score. Brown attempted 10 shots in 33 minutes and just seemed disengaged. Tatum scored 20 points, but 15 of those came in the second half.

“That’s a good question,” was Tatum’s response when asked how the Celtics score easier points. “There’s a lot of answers to that. Realizing time and score, the bonus situation. Just playing the game within the game.”

That’s the key. And that’s what the Celtics are lacking. They don’t always play smart basketball. For example, with a sliver of a chance to rally, the Celtics needed a stop midway through the fourth quarter down 14. Instead, rookie Payton Pritchard got caught on a screen and fouled Furkan Korkmaz with the 76ers in the bonus.

The Celtics give the opposing team too many easy points by over fouling, and they aren’t good at drawing fouls. So if they aren’t hitting jumpers, their chances of winning are minimal. And they ran into a team Tuesday that exploited all their weaknesses.

So the hope is the Celtics are better prepared in about six weeks when they begin the playoffs. But this team is so flawed in some areas, it’s unlikely they can improve so drastically over that span.

The first step is making the game easier for themselves.

Gary Washburn can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GwashburnGlobe.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/07/sports/celtics-symptoms-defeat-familiar-mistake-laden-loss-76ers/

[footey]

If you don't want Embiid going to the line so much, play fundamental defense and stop fouling so much.  Embiid, Giannis, Lebron, etc draw fouls because they are smart and aggressive. 

Do you really think it is that simple?   We really don't have a guy on our roster that can match up with a 270 lb big guy.   I say that as  huge big Rob Williams fan.   You can try all you want and play fundamentally you're still not going to get the close calls in these match ups because their stars and the league spends a lot of money marketing them and want them to do well.   

Fundamental defense, and stop fouling so much.   Do you think these guys want to sit?    You could get down in your defensive stance and bend your knees and your going to get knocked around and fouls called with these guys.   Smart is one of the best at playing these types because he gets into their space and flops on contact.  Rob does not possess these skills.  You've got to sacrifice quite a bit of your body to guard these types or be stronger than them to hold their space.    We don't have that guy and I love Rob at the Five.   All the fundamentals in the world does not change that fact.   

They force the officials to make the foul calls.

This line of argument falls apart when we all see phantom fouls on these guys to a large degree than the rest of the league.

Our current players and coach are just happy to shoot jumpers.  If you want to look back several years, all 5'9" 185lb IT4 shot 5.2 (in 26 MPG), 6.6 and 8.5 FTAs in successive seasons.  The most Tatum and Brown FTAs have shot are 4.7 and 4

How many times have you seem them drive and get knocked down with no calls.   I see it a lot.   They are not treated the same as the above subsidized guys.   The NBA has always had star calls.     I will use Steph Curry as an example

https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/steph-curry-fta-per-game

5.5 FTAs per game more than our guys and even more perimeter orientated.   Trae Young is a jump shooter and shoots 8.5 FTA.  Beal shoots 8 FTA
PG

https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/player-stat/free-throws-attempted

So it is not always about being perimeter guys.  I think this is a false narrative.   Brown and Tatum get almost no respect from the refs.   I know people state they complain but all those stars do too and they get the calls.   I am not saying we lost because of the refs, Philly was the better more physical team.   But it is sheer naivety to think stars do not get calls in the NBA.   There are massive marketing dollars typed up in these assets and money runs the world.

Embiid has been helped since the begining of his career as he shot 7.87 FTAs.  The same was true of LeBron.   These guys also could be called for pushoffs, dropping the shoulder and like about every plays but don't because they are stars.   When Tatum does this stuff the refs drop the hammer on them.

Embiid is having an MVP level season.  He is just coming back after sitting out for 3 weeks due to a bone bruise.  Hence the knee brace and his sluggishness.  Prior to that the talk was that he was in excellent condition this season, at least for him.   

I know, but did you see that last night?   He looked heavy and was laboring.   Mark my words the wheels could come off that bus any second.  It has always been a problem for him and it will continue to do so.  Doc plays his guys a lot and it might hurt them down the road as his knee is balky at best.

Radical idea, put Smart on Embiid, and Rob Williams on Ben Simmons.   Rob can play off Simmons since he is no threat from outside.  Embiid will still get his, but worth experimenting.

[Celtics4ever]

Radical idea, put Smart on Embiid, and Rob Williams on Ben Simmons.   Rob can play off Simmons since he is no threat from outside.  Embiid will still get his, but worth experimenting.

Agree.   I was think Smart on Embiid would help as well.  Smart knows that Embiid uses his size and gets in his space and flops when the contact happens.   He has done this in the past.   Your not going to outbrute the guy and pushing with the hands which Rob did is going to get fouls.  Chest up and try to hold your space and flop hard when the contact happens.  Rob isn't that kind of defender yet.  But we've all seen Marcus do this in the past.

Rob is a great help defense.

[Ogaju]

Playoffs?