The Sixers and Celtics tipped off Game 3 of their first round series Friday evening. Down 2-0, Brett Brown said before the game he had to make some defensive and offensive adjustments. The first adjustment he made was inserting Al Horford back into the starting lineup. The game started out sloppy on both end for the Sixers. The Sixers couldn’t buy a bucket and defensive lapses happened time and time again. Shake Milton was struggling on defense in the first quarter giving up 3 or 4 open 3-pointers because he was ball watching or not paying attention to his matchup. Jayson Tatum tried to make his presence felt but he was called for 3 early fouls. As the quarter came to an end, the Sixers found themselves down 26-24, shooting 24 percent from the field.

The second quarter was a back and forth affair with the Sixers leading briefly by 3. After they lost that lead, they fought hard to stay in the game. It seemed like they had to work super hard for every bucket they scored. The pick and roll defense that Brett said would change ended up stayed the same.  Josh Richardson started hitting some 3-pointers to keep the Blue and White in it. Embiid fought hard in the first half with 22 pts and 10 rebs. Even with these efforts, they were down 51-49.

The second half began with the Sixers still trying to work through Embiid in the post. They had a couple fast break opportunities, but they were spoiled by bad passes and turnovers. Tobias Harris battled all quarter on the boards because his offensive game just wasn’t there. There was a stretch in the third where Korkmaz was subbed in the game. He switched out on Kemba and got cooked a few times. Korkmaz also shot a horrible transition shot that airballed. Brett pulled him immediately at the next dead ball to get him out of the game. Both the Sixers and Celtics shot bad and the Sixers tried to survive the third with Embiid on the bench with 4 fouls.

The fourth quarter began with the home team down 4 points and Boston was able to keep them at bay early on. A 3-pointer by Shake Milton helped bring the Sixers within one point and ultimately the Sixers were able to pull ahead by 2 point, 94-92. The next possession Embiid saw the double team and made the wrong read which led to a turnover and a bucket. The very next play, Joel went to the rim and tried to draw the foul, but turned the ball over which led to another score. Ultimately, the Celtics went on a 10-0 run to end the game and win 102-94. The Big Fella was the only reason they were in the game, but his costly turnovers led to their demise. The Sixers are now down 3-0, which is virtually impossible to come back from. The Sixers let an opportunity fall through their fingertips with Tatum having his worst game of the series.

Quick Observations from the game:

• Tobias Harris had 15 rebs and had 6 offensive board but his offense has completely disappeared. He hasn’t hit a 3-pointer all series. I like Tobias a lot, but there is no excuse for him not stepping up in the playoffs.
• Joel Embiid is putting this team on his back offensively, but those two late turnovers were crucial. You can’t say Joel quit on the team or didn’t give it his all this series.
• Pick and Roll defense was not adjusted throughout the game. Brett Brown needed to make an adjustment and stick with the outcome.
• The team misses Ben Simmons so much. He is the best defensive player on the team and could check Tatum 1 on 1. He also created so many Fastbreak opportunities and open 3-pointers. If anyone reading this can’t see the impact he has on the game just because he doesn’t shoot, you need to get your eyes checked.
• BRETT BROWN COUNT YOUR DAYS MY GUY!
• YOU TOO ELTON BRAND!

Game 4 is Sunday afternoon vs. Celtics. Let’s see if the Sixers put up a fight or lay down and get swept.