Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Postgame Grades and Analysis for Boston

The Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers by a score of 109-101, despite turning the ball over 22 times, which now stands as a new season-high. Every time the Sixers made their run, however, the Celtics answered with incredibly quick offense, whether it was a mid-range jumper from Kevin Garnett or Avery Bradley, or a three-pointer by Paul Pierce. 

Doc Rivers utilized three-guard lineups over and over again Tuesday night, and he had his team playing loads of zone defense. It flummoxed the Sixers, who shot just 5-of-21 from behind the arc to Boston's 50.6 percent from the floor. 

Point Guard: Avery Bradley

Avery Bradley

Bradley started the game on Jrue Holiday, so the Sixers chose to make Evan Turner their primary ball-handler early on. That's how good Bradley is. But early on, Holiday used two screens to get to the basket for two layups, convincing Rivers that defending Holiday should be Jeff Green's responsibility for a while. (Bradley would come back to guarding Holiday later on and do a wonderful job.)

On offense, he was aggressive, using screens to knock down jumper after jumper, taking it coast to coast for baskets in transition and placing himself in the right spots via brilliantly timed off-ball cuts. Bradley finished the first half with 14 points and the game with a game-high 22. 

Grade: A-

Shooting Guard: Courtney Lee

Courtney Lee

Lee took one shot in his first six minutes of play (a desperation three that smashed off the rim). He wasn't spectacular anywhere else, rarely touching the ball or defending a man with any sort of offensive responsibility. 

In his second stint, he took a matchup against Jrue Holiday personally, forcing two straight turnovers on beautiful steals (the second one coming on an aggressive one-man trap against the sideline). It was pressure defense where he made his name in this game. He also showed a bit of an offensive flair, beating a close out from the corner and knocking down a mid-range baseline jumper (resulting in a mean poke in the eye from Arnett Moultrie). 

He finished the game with five points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. 

Grade: B-

Small Forward: Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce

Pierce shot 1-of-5 from the floor in his first 10 minutes. Midway through the second quarter, he began to snap out of it, assisting Garnett on a beautiful drive to the basket, and then knocking down a transition three with about three minutes to go in the first half. It sparked another three less than a minute later. 

His three-point potency stretched into the second half, when he attempted and made two more. Pierce finished the game with 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists to go with five turnovers.

Grade: B+

Power Forward: Brandon Bass

Brandon Bass

Bass missed his first jumper and was woefully prepared to contain Jrue Holiday on every pick-and-roll situation Philadelphia dragged him into. He was mostly limited in action throughout this one, with Boston going small for extended stretches. But when he was on the court, he struggled on the glass, with his spacing, and in finding his stride within the offense. 

He finished with two points and four rebounds in 24 minutes. 

Grade: D

Center: Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett

Garnett opened the game with three straight jumpers over Spencer Hawes. With seven minutes left in the first quarter, he had a particularly beautiful block on Evan Turner before getting replaced by Chris Wilcox. 

His defense was stellar, and the shots continued to fall throughout the game. Garnett finished with 18 points on a series of efficient flip shots and layups at the rim. Hawes and Lavoy Allen couldn't handle him. 

Grade: B

Sixth Man: Jeff Green

Jeff Green

Jeff Green came in the game and immediately asserted himself on offense, posting up Royal Ivey for an aggressive turnaround (he missed). He was also assigned to defend Jrue Holiday and run a little point forward. The result was a quick 7-0 run from Boston as soon as he entered. 

He finished with 16 points in 28 minutes, including a dominant 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. When Green gets going to the basket, the Celtics are a versatile team that's very, very difficult to stop. And his defense on the perimeter was more than helpful. 

Grade: B+

Bench

Bench

Wilcox showed flashes of being a homeless man's Tyson Chandler, tipping offensive misses back out and diving to the rim for clean finishes. He fumbled a wide-open alley-oop with a couple minutes left in the first half that sparked a Sixers run and prevented the Celtics from pulling away. 

Jordan Crawford came in and immediately stole the ball, eventually assisting Jeff Green on a corner three. He then basically played the way he's "supposed" to play, and that means being aggressive on shots at the rim and pull-up jumpers with 15 seconds left on the shot clock. 

In the second half, he attacked four Sixers in transition, with no Celtic teammates even past half court, but converted at the rim.

Jason Terry spent his first seven minutes on the court bouncing back-and-forth between facilitator and unsuccessful scoring threat. He had four assists in this early frame, including one beautiful drive and dump-off pass to Kevin Garnett. 

Grade: A-