Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from Game 3 vs. 76ers

3. Celtics stifle 76ers from beyond the arc

With J.J Redick, Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova all capable of getting hot from distance, Philly shot slightly less than 35 percent of their total shots from beyond the arc in the regular season, relying heavily on shooting to create points and provide spacing for both Simmons and Joel Embiid.

When they’re on target from deep, the Sixers become very difficult to defend, as teams have to decide between letting Simmons roam free to the basket or letting their shooters do the same from their sweet spots.

However, the 76ers become much easier to guard when their shooters can’t hit anything, which is exactly what happened in Game 3, as the Celtics limited Philly to just 9-of-30 shooting from distance.

Simmons is the only player on the roster that can consistently create shots for both himself and his teammates, but without a decent jump shot, even he becomes easier to defend when Redick and others prove incapable of keeping the defense honest on a given night.

The Celtics can simply pack in the paint and dare Philly’s struggling shooters to beat them.

If they continue to shoot 9-for-30, Boston can probably live with that.