The Celtics should have had the match in the bag. As hosts of Game One of their semifinal round series against the Sixers, they had the benefit of a capacity crowd of 19,156 cheering their every move. More importantly, they faced opponents handicapped by the absence of presumptive Most Valuable Player awardee Joel Embiid. They were rightly installed as double-digit favorites with the top dog of the red, white, and blue sidelined due to a sprained lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, and all they had to do was live up to expectations.
For a while there, the Celtics looked only too ready to do so. They came out scorching, with their silky smooth touch enabling them to build a 12-point lead close to the end of the second quarter. And, significantly, they remained accurate until the final buzzer, winding up with a 58.7% clip from the field (including 38.5% from beyond the arc). Considering that they likewise won the battle of the boards (38 to 28) and had more assists (26 to 17) and less fouls (10 to 20), casual observers would not have been faulted for concluding that victory was theirs.
Unfortunately, the Celtics played fast and loose with their possessions, coughing up 10 more turnovers than the Sixers to effectively negate their pluses. The competition was also more ready to cop the so-called 50-50 balls, resulting in a whopping 15 more field goal attempts. Most of all, however, the latter had the benefit of a focused James Harden, who, in coming up with dagger after dagger en route to 45 points, showed that, even past his prime, he can still put together a virtuoso offensive performance.
No doubt, the Celtics will learn from their mistakes and aim to be better tomorrow. That said, there can be no glossing over the fact that they wasted a golden opportunity to stamp their class. They’re supposed to be superior even with the Sixers at full strength, so for them to absorb a setback, especially with All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scoring an efficient 62 on 35 shots, is a downer. Meanwhile, Harden and Company are energized by the triumph. As he noted in the aftermath, “We came in here to win. Whether [Embiid] comes back or not [in Game Two], we’re going to be ready to go.” Indeed.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
