The Big Three of Boston was supposed to be Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Jayson Tatum. Last night though, it was the trio of Tatum, Terry Rozier and Al Horford that led the way in their Game 1 beat down of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Horford's 27 points and 7 rebounds, Rozier's 29,8 and 6 line and Tatum's 28 point performance were the cornerstone performances in the TD Garden as the C's beat my Sixers 117-101.
So what can we take away here? Well anyone who watched the game knows that the Sixers shot like shit. Finishing 5-26 from beyond the arc (translating to 19%). If we rewind to Game 2 of the Miami series we will be reminded that the Sixers shot 19% (7-36) in that loss as well. So it's clear that when they shoot poorly, they lose. No surprises there.
The second - and much more difficult problem to deal with - is the lack of defense they played in against the pick-and-roll. Embiid was torched by Horford several times on a pick-and-roll, following the guard to the post in order to protect the rim, but leaving Horford wide open in the process.
Spoiler alert: Horford is really good at mid-range jumpers and 3-pointers. He has averages of 49% and 43% from each range level.
Further more, Aron Baynes (who?) added 6 points. Now six points may not seem like a lot (looking your way Ilyasova) but it was the manner in which he made them...2 3-pointers. Wide open, once again on missed rotations on defense.
Look, I'm ok with losing Game 1, it was on the road, after 6 days of rest. I expected Tatum and Rozier to have phenomenal games because they are great, young players. What I'm not ok with, is the stubbornness of Brett Brown to change the offensive schemes. Boston had Simmons locked down from the moment he crossed half-court, they clamped down on Marco Belinelli and Ilyasova, our most effective bench pieces, and took the deep-ball away from us. So if the long ball isn't there, you need to go inside. Embiid's line of 31 and 13 is no fluke. He dominated in the post against Baynes and Horford. So why did they refuse t keep feeding him? We may never know.
The Sixers were favored by 4.5 points in Game 1, but the odds have shifted now, with Boston holding a 3.5 point advantage for Game 2.
I'm worried for the Sixers, as Jaylen Brown hasn't played yet, adding a new dimension to an already tough to guard team. But you know me, I always Trust the Process. See you after Game 2.