The Sixers big adjustment for Game 4 was starting TJ McConnell. He’d played 37:33 in the first three games but clocked 38:57 in the elimination game while scoring a career-high 19 points.
McConnell hounded Terry Rozier and helped hold him to 11 points on 4 of 11 shooting. On the offensive end, he kept nailing huge shots, especially during that critical end of third-beginning of fourth quarter span where Philly pulled away.
On one hand, you can say the Celtics had no answer for McConnell. His energy was in stark contrast to the Robert Covington’s defeated body language and Ben Simmons’ decreased aggressiveness.
On the other, you can say the Celtics absolutely have an answer for McConnell that doesn’t really involve any adjustment at all.
Play defense.
Now, I know this is a radical idea. The notion of stopping a player from penetrating or contesting his shot is a novel one, but I think the Celtics can pull it off.
Let’s start here…
McConnell is pushing the ball. The Celtics are not exactly sprinting back in transition. McConnell puts a simple crossover on a woefully out of position Rozier and cruises to the rim because Al Horford and Aron Baynes are concerned with the shooters in the corner.
A: Rozier needs to be better here. Square up and stop the ball.
B: Horford could at least throw a token jab at McConnell to maybe trick him into giving it up.
C: Everyone just needs to get back in transition because these plays are killers.
Next…
Rozier bites too hard on the fake but he recovers well enough. He’s forced Marco Belinelli into a bad angle and into an ill-advised jump pass.
Marcus Smart, though, is going for one of his crazy Smarf blocks, and he ends up in the restricted area while his guy, McConnell, is loading up for a warm-up type look from 3.
I get that Smart was looking to make one of his patented “winning plays” but he was trying for a home run defensive play. Belinelli was screwed here and Smart gave him an outlet. A sure turnover became a 3.
This next one is bad…
Simple blow-by. Rozier looked like he was preparing for the pick from JJ Redick… who faked it and ran to the corner. McConnell seized the opportunity and busted Rozier.
You might say “hey, they fooled Rozier, it was a nice play, you can’t stop everyone all the time.”
Fine.
What was Jaylen Brown doing on the play? Where’s the help in that situation?
It might not have mattered. Smart died on the pick from Embiid. If McConnell saw Brown slide over to help or try to take the charge, Redick was WIIIDDDEEEE open in the corner. At this point the Celtics were probably already moving on to Game 5.
We weren’t yet… until this.
Poor Moose. He’s just not a good defender He was in there to maybe get some offense going but he just got toasted.
These were nine of the 19 McConnell dropped on Boston and each was another nail in Boston’s Game 4 coffin.
He brought incredible energy… energy the Sixers desperately needed. The Celtics gave him openings and he took them all and made the Celtics pay for them.
The bottom line here, though, is if the Celtics get back to playing their standard level of defense, a lot of those openings probably won’t be there. Ask Brad Stevens
He was great. He was a tough guy. He’s a heck of a basketball player, and obviously, we didn’t do a great job of defending him and his impact was tremendous.
Maybe McConnell will find other ways to score, but a return to form by Boston will make that a lot more difficult for him.
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