Three takeaways from Smart, late arriving Tatum saving Celtics’ season, forcing Game 7 vs. 76ers

For three quarters, the Boston Celtics didn’t look like a team that deserved a chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Their stars were struggling, their play was sloppy, and their offense looked like a team feeling the pressure.

However, the 76ers never put them away and it came back to bite the home team as Jayson Tatum scored 16 in the fourth and Boston roared back to a 95-86 win. That evens the series at 3-3 and forces a Game 7 on Sunday.

Here are three takeaways from a wild Game 6.

Jayson Tatum becoming the embodiment of The Undertaker sitting up gif will get headlines, but Marcus Smart and the Celtics’ role players kept the team in touch and gave them a chance late.

For three quarters this felt more like a “what is wrong with Tatum in the playoffs?” game — he was 0-of-10 shooting in the first half. However, maybe the best sign of just how much Tatum struggled came in the third quarter when he isolated on George Niang — a guy with the nickname “mini-van” — and couldn’t drive past him. Jaylen Brown was doing better but not overwhelming, and Boston’s offense was never on track (the Celtics had a 100 offensive rating for the game — an even point per possession).

However, Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White shot 8-of-11 from 3 in the first half to spark Boston to a seven-point halftime lead. Boston’s hot start from 3 defined the first half, even if it felt like a bit of a mirage at the time.

Smart finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and assists on the night, plus some key defensive plays.

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