BOSTON -- The Celtics missed out on an opportunity to take advantage of the 76ers on Monday night in Game 1.
Before the rivals took the floor to begin their Eastern Conference semifinals series, news broke out on Joel Embiid's health status as the league MVP candidate was sidelined. That didn't stop the 76ers from coming into Boston and delivering the Celtics a gut-punching Game 1 loss to snag an early 1-0 series lead at TD Garden.
With turnovers, an inability to stop Philadelphia's small-ball offense and a lack of awareness in the most pivotal moment, the loss begged the question: Were the Celtics just too comfortable knowing Embiid wasn't on the floor? Well, Jaylen Brown addressed that very notion after the loss.
"No. I think we talked about it," Brown said. "I think they just came out more prepared than we did. They came out and they played their ass off. And they had a great game and we had a mediocre game and we lost. We were prepared. I just think they were more prepared than us."
While Embiid was out, that wasn't a problem for Philadelphia. Sure, having arguably the most dominant front-court threat in the NBA provides a major helping hand to Doc Rivers and the 76ers, but Philadelphia was able to lean on its former league MVP.
James Harden was sensational, digging deep for a 45-point clinic much like he'd deliver on any given night back when he played for the Houston Rockets. The 10-time All-Star even put the nail in Boston's coffin, netting a crucial stepback 3-pointer over Al Horford with 8.1 seconds left in the game.
Granted, allowing 12 second-chance points and 20 points off turnovers doesn't exactly make for a winning formula.
With the C's playing catchup in Game 2, they'll need to snag back a home win in order to regain some sense of control before the 76ers have Embiid back and healthy.
