Boston’s potential was great.
The Boston Celtics won 121-87 in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs held at Boston TD Garden on the 4th (hereinafter Korean time).
Boston, the second seed, was evaluated as having an absolute advantage in this series. However, the loss in the first leg at home came as a bit of a shock. The opponent was without regular season MVP Joel Embiid.
Embiid returned to Game 2 faster than expected, and Philadelphia took the momentum and challenged for a second consecutive win. No matter how strong Boston was, it was burdensome to go away after suffering two consecutive losses.
Worries were in vain. The second leg was held after a day’s rest in the same place as the first leg. Boston overpowered Philadelphia in offense and defense, winning by 34 points. It was a complete victory by tying the opponent to 87 points.
The surprising thing is that Boston won safely despite the fact that ace Jayson Tatum (7 points) suffered from extreme sluggishness. Tatum, who scored an average of 30.1 points in the regular season, tried 7 field goals that day and only scored 1. He suffered from foul trouble and stayed on the bench for a relatively long time.
However, the other players gathered their strength at 10 o’clock and half and relieved Ace’s burden. Boston managed 20 3-pointers with evenly outside support.
In particular, Jaylen Brown, who formed a one-two punch with Tatum, shone. Brown, who scored 25 points, also played as James Harden’s dedicated defender and made a breakthrough. Harden, who scored 45 points in the first game, struggled with Brown’s defense and stayed at 12 points (2/14 on field).
The strong guards that Boston is proud of also did their part. Sixth Man Award winner Malcolm Brogdon scored 23 points, including six 3-pointers, while Marcus Smart and Derek White also scored 15 points to support the team. Smart led a last-minute attack in the first quarter to keep the lead, and White exploded in the third quarter.ㅋㅋㅋ벳
Boston, the team that advanced to the finals last season, is evaluated as the team closest to winning at this point. As Milwaukee, who was considered a strong competitor, exited in the first round, Boston’s chances of winning increased.
Game 2 was a game where we could see why Boston was getting good reviews. Boston gave up the first game, but brought back the atmosphere with a complete victory in the second game. Can they catch the 3rd game in enemy territory?