76ers (3-3) at Celtics (3-3) Round 1 Game 7 5/2/26

[ozgod]

Honestly, it feels like an eternity ago that we thrashed them by 30 twice

[Who]

5 triples for Edgecombe. 21pts 4reb 4ast.

Philly wins when he plays well.

[slamtheking]

Sixers are going to get dog walked by the Knicks.

No way in hell the sixers shoot this well in that series.

they will.  Maxey, PG and Edgecomb are all warmed up to shoot well next series.  Embiid will eat KAT and Robinson alive.  Brunson will get burned repeatedly on D as well.

Knicks are going to have to wear Philly down with depth and hope Brunson gets a whistle like Embiid to put Maxey/Edgecomb in foul trouble

[Larry for 3]

Guys, I get being frustrated with the shooting. But what is it you expect them to do?

They apparently have no center who can stay on the floor, so they aren't going to be lobbing or posting up. They have three guys with any ball handling ability at all and two of those guys are White/Pritchard who get a substantial majority of their value from shooting threes on volume.

I just don't know what they are supposed to do.

What are you talking about? This has been their entire philosophy since Joe has been coach. Mazzulla ball is all about the math game of taking and making an inordinate amount of threes to "out-math" their opponent. It's a bunk philosophy that was present with or without the roster problems and has led to a 75% failure rate relative to expectations in the playoffs.

75 percent failure rate. Great point and true.

[ozgod]

Our defense is just disappeared? Philly shooting 52% overall and 43% from three. And they?re shooting high from three because the shots are open because they?re attacking the basket. We?ve just been mostly trying to shoot the three without attacking the basket first.

[Who]

This is who the team is. They shoot threes, because they've never (even when Tatum is healthy and at his peak) had that truly elite can't be stopped offensive player.

Again, they have ONE guy who can pressure the rim. ONE on the entire team when Tatum is out.

Agreed. This is what the roster is. This is how the team has been built. To play this strategy.

This is not Mazzula-ball. This is Stevens-ball.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

this is why u never bet with ur heart and always ur BRAIN

glad i took philly +8.5

[SparzWizard]

So who we rooting for next round? Knicks or 76ers? Don't they say it better to cheer for the team that beat your team?

[Phantom255x]

Honestly, it feels like an eternity ago that we thrashed them by 30 twice

The C's were up 13 early in the 3rd in Game 5 as well, then it all went downhill since.

Kind of like last year's Knicks series, two 20-point leads in Game 1 + 2, and blew it.

[SCeltic34]

Our defense is just disappeared? Philly shooting 52% overall and 43% from three. And they?re shooting high from three because the shots are open because they?re attacking the basket. We?ve just been mostly trying to shoot the three without attacking the basket first.

Basketball 101.  But that's too advanced for Mazzula.

Also going small ball against Embiid wasn't exactly the brightest idea.  You wonder why Philly is getting open 3's?  We have to double Embiid - and rightfully so when we're small - leaving shooters open on the perimeter.  Not rocket science.  But too advanced for Mazzula.

[slamtheking]

White got shoved in the back on that drive to the basket

[SparzWizard]

this is why u never bet with ur heart and always ur BRAIN

glad i took philly +8.5

Excellent choice

[Phantom255x]

So who we rooting for next round? Knicks or 76ers? Don't they say it better to cheer for the team that beat your team?

A meteor

But I'd go Sixers. I don't really hate their team tbh, the Embiid antics are annoying but I don't hate Maxey/Edgecomb/George and the others much.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

So who we rooting for next round? Knicks or 76ers? Don't they say it better to cheer for the team that beat your team?

ZERO BLANKS GIVEN

SCREW THE NBA

[keevsnick]

The volume 3 offense even when the Cs aren't close to making them is something that is not sustainable.

This group are so mentally soft that when they don't fall they quit.

Again, this is not only wrong in a basketball sense but at a base statistical level. You CAN NOT stop shooting because you miss shots. If you do so you are doomed. You may also lose if you keep shooting, but this team WILL LOSE if they stop shooting them.

There has to be a balance when they are not falling. You have to have a plan B to pivot to.

Let me re-phrase what you are saying: When the Celtics best offensive player is out and their starting center is in foul trouble and their threes aren't falling they should have a way to generate enough offense to overcome a team who themselves is shooting 40% from three in the game.

That's not a plan B, its a plan D.

At some point you run out of counters. There are very few teams who will survive their bets player being out, their starting center unable to play because of fouls, and getting outshot 40% to 31% from three.

And yet they are still only down 6!