The Philadelphia 76ers' lockdown defense suffocates the Boston Celtics' perimeter attack, forcing contested shots and dictating a dramatic series shift.
The biggest reason the Philadelphia 76ers have stayed alive in this series is because their defense has taken away the Boston Celtics' primary options.
Boston shot just 29% from three across Games 5 and 6; this has caused a shift in their shot diet. In Games 2 through 4, 58% of their shots were three-pointers; this number has dropped to 46% over the next two games.
Boston has been pushed away from their shooting dominance that defined their 2024 title run and now finds itself in a Game 7 against a team many thought it would dominate.
Nick Nurse has done a great job drilling his team; everyone is staying in front of their man, refusing to give up any open three-pointers, and forcing contested shots. The team on the perimeter has been planted right in front of the three-point line, denying any easy looks before Boston's offense can even get set.
Paul George has done a fantastic job as a point-of-attack defender in this series, guarding both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown one-on-one without constantly needing to send two bodies in for help.
Brown and Tatum have been asked to do more creation on their own. With the Celtics being an isolation-heavy offense and their three-point shots not falling, he has to try to create offense against a defense that has been geared to stop him from getting any clean looks. The wing duo struggled particularly in Games 5 and 6, with both combining for 0-8 shooting from the field in the fourth quarter of Game 5.
VJ Edgecombe has only added to that pressure. In Game 2, he did a great job making Boston pay for leaving him open. Now in Game 6, he is doing a great job staying active on defense, staying right in front of the three-point line at the point of attack, and forcing Boston to either try to drive in the paint or settle for deep, contested threes that aren't likely to go in.
That is what has made this series so different from the first two games. Philadelphia has neutralized Boston's biggest weapon for long stretches, which is why an upset has remained a possibility. The Sixers do not need to be perfect; they just need their defense to keep limiting their three-point opponents so the offense is able to step in and finish the job.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.