I'm going to try something different today, just presenting the running notes that I kept on last night's Celtics-Sixers showdown, plus end-of-game notes on each team at the bottom. Enjoy, and please let me know if you'd like to see this kind of thing more often.
1st Quarter
- JB on Tatum right away, face-guarding on the first possession
- Maxey so good in transition, hits a three off JB steal
- Tatum guarding JB, forces a turnover in isolation
- Walsh back screen frees Tatum, miscommunication between Maxey/JB
- Maxey spins away from Walsh on P&R rejection, drives for an and-one
- White double P&R, drives and Nash dribbles, kicks to Walsh for three
- JB steal in the backcourt, drives and White draws a charge
- Tatum sidestep three over Maxey -> JB drive and HUGE dunk over White
- White misses a transition three, then gets sealed by Embiid on FB = foul
- Miss by Tatum on the drive, Embiid seals Mitch on FB = foul and bonus early
- Edgecombe on FB, spins through a double team for a layup
- Sixers doing some pressuring in the backcourt
- Nobody picks up Hauser on FB and he hits a delayed DHO three
- Mitch with a very silly foul on Embiid taking a three
- Wade top-sides Tatum to force a back door pass, Queta throws it away
- Pritchard gets Embiid on a switch, Sixers immediately double and switch it out
- KCP top-siding Scheierman, goes back door and Queta hits the pass this time
- KCP switched onto Queta in the post, strips him on the entry pass
- Tatum drives through Simons on FB and misses but tips it in himself
2nd Quarter
- LeBron/JB start while Maxey/Embiid hit the bench for the stagger
- LeBron gets PG into the post and drops a fadeaway over the top, rolls in
- JB posts White, draws a double and kicks to KCP opposite corner but he misses
- No foul on Walker going for OREB, PG takes advantage with transition three
- PG gets Simons posted, settles for a fadeaway and misses -> LBJ fouled on FB
- LeBron finds Edgecombe cutting back door, Hugo steps in to draw a charge
- Really nice hesitation from Pritchard to beat Simons to the rim for a scoop
- Hugo does a nice job contesting LeBron in the post, everywhere on defense
- Queta posted, Hugo cuts through, kick to Pritchard but he misses from three
- JB tries a give-and-go with Maxey on BLOB and Hugo steals it
- Edgecombe strips Tatum on stepback, hits ahead to Maxey for FB layup
- Slip-flare for Tatum but he misses the 3 -> Maxey FB push = foul (Mitch's 3rd)
- Hauser is raining threes, hits a couple contested ones (wing and top-key)
- Embiid bricks a three, then passes up an open one to drive, loses the ball
- Mitch misses a tip-in on Tatum miss and the Sixers push hard for a JB FB layup
- PG shakes JB off the ball but misses, gets his own OREB and gets an and-one
- LeBron ghost cut off Maxey-Embiid P&R, kicks to Edgecombe pump-and-pop
- LeBron extra pass to Wade in for corner three -> White skip pass to PG three
- Nice Sixers run to end the half, almost better but Wade misses open corner 3
3rd Quarter
- LeBron posts White, spins baseline, draws three, kicks to Embiid for three (!)
- White screen on JB forces a switch, Tatum hits a rocker-step three over Maxey
- Queta out-muscles Embiid for OREB on Walsh airball and finishes inside
- JB tries to draw a charge on short roll but Queta dishes for a PG layup
- Great challenge from Queta on Edgecombe back door cut but better finish
- JB staying active defensively with four fouls but gets subbed out for Wade
- White-Tatum P&R forces a switch -> Tatum-Queta P&R short roll for a finish
- Maxey-Embiid P&R dish to LeBron for a weak side drive-and-finish at the rim
- Great Sixers defense to force a shot clock violation at 6:33 (lead down to 4)
- Tatum splits an Embiid double and rises for a MONSTER dunk on LeBron
- Mitch doesn't bite on Embiid fake but he drives, dishes to cutting LBJ layup
- Tatum totally unforced turnover trying to lob a hit-ahead to Pritchard
- Scheierman on Maxey... probably not gonna work out too well for him
- Maxey-Embiid P&R, re-screen, kick to Edgecombe, drive-kick to Wade 3 (tie)
- Pritchard with back-to-back threes, one of them off the top of the backboard
- Tatum posts Wade, dribbles middle, draws help, kicks crosscourt to Hauser 3
- Pritchard double P&R, Queta short roll kick to Hauser, swing to Tatum three
- Maxey shakes Scheierman with between-the-legs crossover stepback three
- Scheierman answers with a corner three off the kickout... good for him
4th Quarter
- Pritchard gets Wade isolated late in the clock and drills a stepback three
- PG behind-the-back dish to Hauser on the drive, swings to Pritchard corner 3
- Sixers offense looks ... gross without Maxey out there
- PG-Queta P&R pull-up three and suddenly it's a 21-3 Celtics run to go up 18
- Nurse comes back with the starters at the ~9 min mark down by 18
- PG gets Maxey on a switch, draws help, hits a fadeaway over it and-one
- PG-Queta P&R, snakes it and goes right by Embiid for a layup (he's got 30 now)
- BLOB: JB comes off Embiid screen and hits a 3 (first points of the Q for PHI)
- Tatum-Mitch P&R re-screen, whips it crosscourt to PG for three on the wing
- JB rocker-step from the corner, blows by PG, no help = easy dunk
- PG doubles JB and they switch, JB throws it away underneath -> PG trailer 3
- Sixers empty the bench after PG puts Boston up 24 with 5:24 to go
76ers
- JB clearly in his head about the Tatum matchup, affected him all night
- One of those mummified Embiid games, noticeable on both ends
- Didn't really feel LeBron in that quarterback role in this one
- Maxey-Edgecombe remains maybe my favorite backcourt regardless of result
- Backup center remains an obvious issue, particularly on defense
- They'd done a good job limiting 3PA this year but not in this one (49 attempts)
- Now at 21st in ORtg, 16th in NetRtg, pt differential implies 6-6 record, not 9-3
Celtics
- PG clearly the best wing/player on the floor; what a start to the season for him
- Pritchard was Boston's next-best player, hitting everything, working P&Rs
- Hugo was fantastic defensively, particularly in the second quarter
- Hauser's threes all felt huge at the time he hit them
- Only five free throw attempts and they still won... pretty incredible (28 for PHI)
- Gonna win a ton of games again, 3rd in ORtg, 6th in DRtg, 1st in Net Rtg
- Mazzulla Ball has evolved a bit — more OREB, forcing more TOs, etc.