The Boston Celtics' defensive mastery has exposed the Philadelphia 76ers and their isolation-heavy attack. The Sixers must embrace movement and team play to counter the Celtics' organized attack.
Game 1 made the problem clear: Boston is too organized, too deep, and too disruptive for Philadelphia to survive on isolation basketball alone.
The Celtics rolled to a 123-91 win, forced 14 turnovers, and turned them into 22 points, while the Sixers shot just 17.4% from three and were already out of the game by the time the fourth quarter came. For a team without Joel Embiid, this style of play leaves Tyrese Maxey having to do far too much by himself.
This is why Nick Nurse's answer has to be more movement during possessions. Maxey is at his best when he is flying downhill and using his speed and finishing ability to put pressure on defenses, not when he is trying to break down set defenses. He leads the league in transition points per game and distance run per game; this high-pace playstyle is the backbone of his 28.3 points per game average this season.
When Philadelphia gets him moving through handoffs, dribble exchanges, and quick-hitting actions, it can give Boston something new to deal with instead of the repetitive isolation sets.
Another issue is that the 76ers are not a great passing team. Their 24.5 assists per game put them second-to-last in the NBA. Boston is one of the best defensive teams in the league and is more than capable of keying in on an offense that does not move the ball around. Boston isn't far ahead of Philadelphia in terms of assists, but their team construction, discipline, and lineups allow an isolation-heavy style to work far better than Philadelphia.
Philadelphia also needs its supporting cast to step up. Maxey was being double-teamed for large chunks of the game, which clogged driving lanes and added another layer of complication to getting open.
Right now, Joe Mazzulla does not respect what Philadelphia's supporting cast can do and is dedicating his attention to the threat of Maxey. If players like Kelly Oubre Jr, Quentin Grimes, and Justin Edwards can convert more open looks and punish lax defense, then the 76ers will have a much better chance of victory.
Hero ball will not beat a team of Boston's caliber, but a roster maximizing their star players' best qualities and playing as a team could make this a competitive matchup worth watching.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.