Bring Out the Brooms: Celtics vs. 76ers Game Four (August 23, 2020)
The Celtics faced off against the Philadelphia 76ers in game four of their first round series. Boston looked to send Philly home, while Joel Embiid (30 pts, 10 reb, 3 stl, 2 blk) was trying to will his team to a much needed victory.
Jaylen Brown (16 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast) started off the game shooting with confidence. He missed his first three but followed it up by nailing his next two. As for the defensive end of the floor, Daniel Theis (15 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast) picked up a very early foul which led to Brad Stevens subbing in Enes Kanter (6 pts, 5 reb) only 30 seconds into the game.
The game seemed close early on, but there was a noticeable difference in offense. The Celtics were running their plays well and nailing good shots. Kemba Walker (32 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk) and Jayson Tatum (28 pts, 15 reb, 4 ast, 1, stl, 2 blk) even got some early action scoring the ball. As for Philly, their offense just looked kind of desperate. Yes they were getting buckets, but it seemed like a constant scramble to find a shot on that end.
Boston got into some early foul trouble, allowing the Sixers to get into the bonus with a lot of time left in the first. While that may sound like a bad thing, I took it as a positive. Sure it would be better if the C’s defended without fouling, but those fouls were a result of their aggressiveness and hustle. There was some great energy on that end of the floor, just like they’ve had throughout the series.
Tobias Harris (20 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast) and Shake Milton (14 pts, 4 reb) were actually looking useful in the first quarter. Milton had been having a pretty good series, but Harris looked dreadful in the first three games. Their performance early on in game four was promising, but the Sixers had had good first quarters before. They were often deceiving.
Boston went on a cold stretch when the bench came in and it gave Philly a chance to get ahead. Grant Williams (3 pts) and Romeo Langford (0 pts, 1 reb) got outmatched by Al Horford (12 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast) and Harris a little bit. The C’s were struggling to get any shots to fall as Philly found some semblance of a rhythm. This resulted in a small Philly lead after one.
Walker opened up the second with a fire lit underneath him. He had a great first quarter and that confidence definitely spilled over into the second. He was too quick on offense and too much of an irritant on defense for the Sixers to deal with.
For once in his life, it seemed like Embiid was getting some help. Harris, Milton, and Josh Richardson (14 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast) all were providing some decent scoring for the Sixers. However, a big portion of that was coming from free throws. If the C’s could cut down on fouling they’d be in a much better position to win.
Alec Burks (13 pts, 3 reb, 2 blk) was also killing the Celtics off the bench. No matter how many times the Sixers scored, though, Boston was always right there with them. This was shaping up to be another competitive game.
Both squads were playing with much more physicality than there had been in the first three games. It was refreshing to see that the Sixers actually cared about something other than getting paid. Kanter and Embiid were in a constant battle in the post on both ends of the floor, there had been three techs given out in the first half, and both teams wanted this game badly. I was ready for an entertaining second half.
Going into halftime, both teams were shooting the ball super efficiently. The Sixers had finally figured out how to shoot the ball, and were actually showing some sort of effort on defense. The only real differentiating factor at the half was free throws. Philadelphia held a one point lead going into the locker room, up 58-57.
His performance in game three must have unlocked his true form because Walker looked amazing once again. He was just super aggressive and looked like he was playing for Charlotte again. Not that he hasn’t been great in Boston, it’s just the mentality of “okay I’m going to go get a bucket.” He was unconscious shooting the ball.
Along with Walker, Boston’s young duo of Tatum and Brown were playing great. Each of them had over 10 points midway through the third, and were shooting super efficiently. Just some great team basketball from the C’s on offense to go along with their awesome defensive intensity.
The Sixers started fouling way more in the third. Brett Brown was getting furious on the sideline as the Sixers began playing sloppy, unenergetic basketball. I mean the guy was coaching for his job in this game, so I’d be pretty angry, too.
Harris had a nasty fall in the third. I just wanted to quickly wish him a speedy recovery. One of the scarier falls I’ve seen in a while. Super relieved to see him walk off the court on his own.
The Celtics went on a huge run to end the third, with Tatum capping it off by draining a deep three. Boston was looking to send the Sixers home as quick and as painless as possible.
After Harris went down, the entire demeanor of Philly changed. It was a terrifying fall and understandably shook up the entire Sixers roster, and the Celtics took advantage of a super unfortunate situation. They carried that momentum into the fourth and kept their feet on the gas pedal, as Tatum started to go absolutely ballistic.
Harris ended up checking back into the game in an astounding display of toughness. The guy fell flat on his face, got stitched up, and ended up playing again late in the game. Huge props to the guy. His presence on the court had the potential to energize Philly. The game was not over yet.
By the time the end of the game rolled around, the Sixers just looked gassed. Everyone looked exhausted with the exception of Harris, ironically enough. They were jogging up and down the court, settling for shots, and were ready to go home. Well, the Celtics were more than happy to help them out with that.
Boston ended up maintaining their 10-ish point lead for the rest of the game, and put an end to their first round series in four. Bring out the brooms. Walker, Tatum, and Brown were killers.
The Celtics swept the series, winning game four (FINAL SCORE). Sorry Philly, better luck next time.
