Jayson Tatum is rounding into shape right in time for the Celtics to make a deep playoff run.
The Philadelphia 76ers will need a powerful Game 2 response to invite suspense in their first-round series with the Boston Celtics.
They don’t necessarily need to win Tuesday (7 ET, Peacock/NBC Sports), but simply make it a four-quarter game and the last few minutes meaningful.
None of that happened in Game 1, won breezily by Boston, and now the Sixers have logic against them along with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. And logic might be more powerful because it plants a seed of doubt.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla will keep insisting to his players that the Sixers are no pushovers and any lapse by Boston or overconfidence could cause trouble, because that’s what coaches do when they’re up big. As for Nick Nurse, he’ll need to pull plenty of motivational tricks from his bag for the Sixers.
And if he can reach deep and pull out Joel Embiid, that’ll certainly do wonders for Philly and this series.
Here are three things to watch for in Tuesday’s Game 2:
1. Celtics apply the max on Maxey
It’s really simple — if the Celtics make it hard for Tyrese Maxey to score, then they’ll also make it hard for the Sixers to win. This is a no-brainer strategy: throw multiple bodies in Maxey’s path and make him break a ton of sweat. The idea is to wear him out, frustrate him if possible, and leave him with little gas by the fourth quarter.
If this is successful, it’ll be up to his teammates to counter with points … and that’s a gamble the Celtics will take eight days a week. Is VJ Edgecombe, a solid rookie but a rookie in his first playoff series, up to the task of being the volume shooter?
How about Kelly Oubre Jr., who has never been a lead singer in his career? Is there anyone else, both willing and more importantly, able, to give the Celtics lots of trouble other than Maxey?
The sensible candidate is Paul George, who has been in this role many times throughout his career. But he hasn’t been that guy since joining the Sixers.
Also, to tap into other scoring options, the Sixers resorted to shooting 3s in Game 1 but shot only 2-for-16.
Therefore, the Celtics can throw Brown and Derrick White at Maxey, force him to surrender the ball, dare the others to shoot and live with the result.
All this is made possible by the absence of Embiid, who might not suit up this series.
The defensive blueprint would be completely different against the Sixers if Embiid were healthy. But he’s not, so it isn’t.
2. Tatum’s follow-up
Jayson Tatum (25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) and Jaylen Brown (26 points) lift the Celtics to a Game 1 victory over the 76ers.
The last two times Tatum took the floor in a playoff game, he hurt his Achilles (last spring) and then nearly notched a triple-double (last Saturday).
Suffice to say, those were two vastly different emotional outcomes, and lucky for the Celtics, he’s trending in the right direction after nearly a year on the mend.
What’s next for Game 2? Each time Tatum distances himself from surgery with a meaningful performance, the Celtics’ odds of being the favorite in the East take another level up. Having Tatum and Brown in sync and doing a tag-team on the opposition, while the supporting cast fills in wherever necessary, definitely gives Boston a strong case.
In this series, where the Sixers probably won’t offer much resistance, Tatum can build his confidence even more and prep himself for better competition, assuming the Celtics advance, which seems destined to happen unless the sky falls.
3. Can this series pull even at one game apiece?
It seems unlikely, especially after the Celtics’ wire-to-wire 32-point Game 1 win. But these are the playoffs.
Stuff happens sometimes … weird stuff.
The Sixers’ best chance of winning a game will be when the series shifts to Philly. That said, a few issues could cause an earthquake on Tuesday in Boston, should they happen:
• Tatum struggles. That’s not a stretch. He has been up and down since returning to the lineup and Game 2 could be one of those less-than-enthusiastic moments. Boston managed to do just fine without him this season, which is the good news for the Celtics, but if the Sixers play an inspired game, then Tatum’s disappearing act could backfire.
• The Celtics’ 3-pointers don’t fall. This team isn’t bashful about launching from deep; it’s in the Celtics’ DNA. They take 44 per game. Yet suppose they go cold: The Celtics shot 36% in the regular season, which is decent, but not exactly legendary. Aside from Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard, nobody is elite.
• Philadelphia plays as if the season depends on it. Which is certainly the case, because if the Sixers go down 2-0, they’ll need to win four out of five to take the series. So, yes, this is paramount for Philly.
• Embiid miraculously returns. Sixers fans can only hope.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.