(Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
It’s been a long couple years for the Sixers when it comes to facing the Celtics. The Celtics have dominated the rivalry both in the postseason and regular season. Last night, the Sixers finally had a chance to put the losses in the past and get into the win column. It wasn’t pretty at times, but they got it done. I was starting to think it was payback for the Eagles beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl. I was pretty sure God said “Okay, you can have your Super Bowl, but you’ll never beat the Celtics again.”
I would have really started believing that had the Sixers not won last night. The last time they squared off was shortly after the Tobias Harris trade. Even with Harris, the Sixers still couldn’t beat them back in February. Every Celtic role player from Rozier, to Baynes, and to Morris all seem to save their best games for the Sixers. Last night, the Sixers seemed dead in the water until Marcus Smart lit a fire under the Sixers. After he shoved Embiid and got ejected, the whole game changed. The Sixers finally got engaged in the game, and the 2nd half was as close to playoff basketball as you’ll find in the regular season.
The formula to victory has become pretty simple. Joel Embiid admitted as much in his post game interview. Embiid will carry the team through three quarters, and Jimmy Butler is there to close it out. Butler turns into a different player come the 4th quarter. As I was watching the game last night, I saw the puzzle pieces all starting to fit into place for the Sixers.
Simmons needs Butler to handle the ball in the fourth quarter. Embiid needs Butler to take over in the fourth after going all out the first three quarters. Embiid and Simmons need Harris and Redick out there to space the floor for them. These guys are meshing together at the right time. They are 7-1 when they are in the lineup together. The scary thing for other Eastern Conference teams: they will only get better as they head into the playoffs.
