Philadelphia 76ers aiming to tackle the surging Boston Celtics in Game 4 – NBA Playoffs Preview
The Boston Celtics have been hearing the same thing throughout the season, that they are too old a team to be championship contenders against young teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat and Chicago
Bulls.
The Celtics met another young team in the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night in game 3 of their Eastern Conference Semi Final Series and did not seem old, mauling them 107-91 in their own back yard.
Kevin Garnett, who has been the story of the playoffs for the Celtics, erupted with 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds .He was 12 of 17 from the field and knocking down shots at will as the famed Sixers defense
was helpless against him.
"I'm focused on the playoffs. I haven't given much thought to it. I'm definitely aware of it. We know what the possibilities are. But at this point, right now, it's the playoffs” said Garnett
"You have to do a better job early. You can't let him get such deep position. You can't let him run underneath the rim, turn and face the basket. You have to meet him at the free throw line” said Sixers coach
Doug Collins regarding Garnett.
Paul Pierce battled his knee injury to put in a stellar performance on the night after having a mediocre game 1 and 2. He had 24 points and 12 rebounds on the night. Rajon Rondo added 23 points and 14 assists
as all the Celtics strengths combined and the Sixers had no chance.
The Sixers, on the other hand, were lost on both sides of the court. They allowed the Celtics to shoot 51.9% from the field and Garnett, Pierce and Rondo to score 20 plus points each. On the other hand, the Sixers
failed on the offense, with Andre Iguodala finishing with 10 points from 6 field goal attempts.
The only other starter in double digits was Jrue Holiday with 15 points and 9 assists. Thaddeus Young came off the bench to score a team high 22 points and Louis Williams added 13.
"It was a little embarrassing because you don't want to put on a showing like that, and definitely at home. At the same time, its motivation to not do it again” said Sixers guard Jrue Holiday.
The Celtics beat the Sixers 44-37 in rebounds and had 6 steals compared to 3 for the Sixers. Philadelphia shot 40.7% from the field and were 8 of 15 from the distance.
The Sixers have however showed they had what it takes to beat a club like Boston. They narrowly lost game 1 by one point and then won the game 2 by the same margin. All they need to do now, is to bring energy
and motivation into the next game on Friday night, and challenge the Celtics offense, particularly Garnett.
The Sixers big men in Elton Brand and Spencer Hawes struggled on Wednesday night, giving Boston an edge in rebounds and letting Garnett lose. They need to do their job underneath the rim. The onus also falls
on Andre Iguodala, who is the experienced star in the lineup and needs to take the lead from the front and improve his scoring.
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