BOSTON — The Philadelphia 76ers know things aren’t very complicated as they head into Thursday night’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at TD Garden.
“We’ve got to be better. That’s the bottom line Lyle Alzado Jersey ,” 76ers guard JJ Redick said Tuesday. “We’ve got to be better offensively, better defensively. There’s no overreaction on our part.”
The Celtics, the second seeds in the East, cruised to a 117-101 victory over Philadelphia in Game 1 on Monday night as Terry Rozier, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford combined for 83 points, 18 rebounds and 12 assists — Boston’s fourth win in five games against their long-time rivals this season.
The 76ers, in their first postseason since 2012, went 5-for-26 from 3-point range and played shoddy defense to fall behind in the opener.
“Defensively, we were trash,” said center Joel Embiid, who had 31 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in the loss. “They made a lot of shots. We didn’t. We’ve got a lot of good shooters. Everyone has off nights Marcus Gilchrist Jersey , so Thursday’s going to be a different story. We just have to correct a couple stuff defensively and we’re going to be fine.”
The Celtics, again playing without a starter — Jaylen Brown was out with a hamstring injury — controlled the game but know they have to be ready for what’s next.
“Of course, I am. This is the playoffs,” said Marcus Smart, whose energy and nine assists were keys to the win. “That team has been doing some extraordinary things. I don’t expect nothing less than them to bring everything that they have. We’re going to be ready for it.”
Smart, returning from right thumb surgery, was clearly in pain at times in Game 1 and said he is going to a more comfortable splint in Game 2.
The Celtics needed seven games — all won by the home team — to dispose of the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, improving to 36-0 all-time when leading a series 2-0. Like the Bucks, the Syracuse/Philadelphia franchise has never won a series when trailing 0-2 (0-14).
Boston leads the all-time playoff series in the NBA’s most-repeated matchup by a 12-7 count.
Markelle Fultz, the rookie taken as the No. 1 pick in the draft after the trade with the Celtics, didn’t get off the bench in Game 1, but Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said Tuesday that doesn’t mean you won’t see him at all.
“There are times where you for sure think about (playing Fultz) Albert Wilson Jersey ,” Brown said. “… But I got a decision to make, and I’ve made a decision. That doesn’t mean it’s etched in stone. It’s always something that you review and think about. And the care for Markelle Fultz and his future is always on my mind.”
While Fultz missed most of his rookie season, Ben Simmons, who missed what should have been his rookie season in 2016-17, had a strong Year 2. Celtics fans serenaded him with chants of “Not a rookie” on Monday while rewarding Tatum, their own rookie, with chants of “He’s a rookie.”
Simmons, who didn’t have a good Game 1, said the chanting didn’t bother him.
“I don’t care. It doesn’t affect me at all,” Simmons said after the opener.
And Tatum, on the battle of top rookies? “At this point, I’m just focused on winning Harrison Smith Jersey , not really matchups,” Tatum said. “Just win. It’s really a team thing right now.”
Jaylen Brown, hurt in Game 7 of the first round, is improving and could see action Thursday after working out Wednesday. He was officially listed as doubtful for Game 2.
However, the Celtics, who made it 4-0 at TD Garden in the playoffs with the opening win, are conscious of bringing him back at the right time.
The series shifts to Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4.
“We can play a lot better,” said Rozier, who has emerged as a star with Kyrie Irving joining Gordon Hayward and rookie Daniel Theis on the sideline for the rest of the season. “We had a lot of points that we gave up. We could have played even better offense. That’s the scary thing.”
The NFL’s new rule barring players from lowering their heads to initiate contact with the helmet sounds like it could be a nightmare for officials, players, coaches and fans watching at home, because there will be so many penalties called that the game will turn into a long slog. But the NFL says that’s not going to happen.
Although NFL Executive V.P. of Football Operations Troy Vincent acknowledged on PFT Live that an increase in penalties could happen “possibly during preseason Joe Montana Jersey ,” he said that by the time the regular-season starts, he’s confident everyone will be on the same page about what is and is not allowed.
“During training camp we’ve got to make sure our officials are out and are properly educating and making sure the coaches and players and officials are aligned,” he said. “The players will adjust. They continue to do so. We want the officials to call what they see.”
Vincent said the NFL’s goal is to train players to use their hands, arms and shoulders to initiate contact, and not their heads.
“It’s really about hands first, head to the side,” Vincent said. “Let’s get the shoulder back involved in the game, let’s make sure we get the hands back involved in the game.”
This is undeniably a big rule change, but only time will tell how big an impact it makes on the final product on the field.
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