Well, that wasn’t fun. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the NBA playoffs, the Celtics wiped the floor with the Sixers, winning 117-101. The entire game was frustrating both offensively and defensively. On offense, some nights the shots just don’t fall. What can you do? But on defense, the Sixers exhibited a real lack of effort.
All season long, Brett Brown has emphasized the importance of defense. So for the Sixers to go out and lay an egg is extremely uncharacteristic of this team. Call it whatever you want: rust from a week off, lack of effort, confusion, miscommunication, etc.