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The Philadelphia 76ers fell 108-100 to the Boston Celtics on Friday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena, as Boston grabbed a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series. Paul George’s postgame comments centered on missed details, second-chance points, and late-game execution.
He pointed directly to Boston’s ability to extend possessions and convert them into momentum swings. “Second chances that they got. They capitalized. That was the game,” he said. “They had some big rebounds that turned into some three balls and those are momentum plays.”
George also highlighted the Celtics’ work on the glass. “We held them to 108, which is good defense against a three-point shooting Boston Celtics team,” he said. “They just got some big plays. Derrick White made some big rebounds… but really all of them, at any given moment someone came down with one that got them another opportunity at the basket.”
Late-game execution proved decisive after Philadelphia briefly led in the fourth. George acknowledged the breakdown. “We have to rewatch it. I have to see what happened in that moment and why we struggled down that stretch.”
On Boston’s offensive rebounding edge, he noted nuance rather than structure issues. “It’s not that we’re allowing them to get these offensive rebounds,” George said. “Some of them are just bad bounces… some of those situations have been tough. But knowing that we got to be better there.”
Philadelphia’s pick-and-roll creation also came under pressure as Boston adjusted defensively. “They definitely changed their coverage,” he said. “The guards are really fighting to get back in front… they’re applying more pressure and more physicality.”
George emphasized process over pressure when discussing playoff execution. “You just go back to that. You trust in the work that you’ve done over a whole year,” he said. “You can’t play trying not to make mistakes.”
Defensively, he credited increased intensity throughout the postseason. “You kind of have to play with some sort of desperation in the playoffs… guys are going out there and playing as hard as they can,” George said.
Looking ahead to Game 4, he downplayed external pressure despite the 2-1 deficit. “The sense of urgency has got to be there,” he said. “But it’s no more pressure than any other game… We still feel we’re in the driver’s seat.”
He closed by reflecting on late-game creation and small-margin possessions. “Just seeing how they guard me… I was able to create a two-on-one,” George said. “Throughout my career…”
