Celtics-Sixers rivalry alive and well - 10 takeaways from convincing victory

 Boston Head Coach, Joe Mazzulla, had to feel great after his Celtics took out the Philadelphia 76'ers in convincing fashion, 126-117. Here are my 10 takeaways from the contest:

1.) PACE: It is clear that Mazzulla is telling his troops to push the ball on offense. Boston outscored Philly 24-to-2 in fast break points.

2.) MALCOLM BROGDON: Boston's recent acquisition takes it to the hoop with authority and precision. He uses his body control to finish well at the rim. Malcolm finished with 16 points on 7-of-11 from the field. His shot chart for the game is below:

3.) GRANT WILLIAMS: Grant only missed one shot, and that was from the free throw line. He totaled 15 points in 24 minutes, while shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and 3-of-3 on treys. 

4.) PAYTON PRITCHARD: Payton saw a DNP-CD for the game. It is unknown if this will continue into the season - or Coach Mazzulla felt it necessary to keep the little guy on the bench due to the size on the court for Philadelphia.

5.) JAYSON TATUM: It is clear the refs are watching Tatum closely for his negative reaction to their calls. He will get no leeway from them - as evidenced by the technical foul he picked up complaining (rightly) about a foul called on teammate Al Horford. Interesting that the foul on Al was reviewed and rescinded, and both announcers felt the tech on Jayson should have been scratched also.

6.) UNIFORMS: I love the uniforms worn by The Green last night. Just plain classy!

7.) LUKE KORNET: Are we ever going to see this guy in a game? He was also a DNP-CD.

8.) JAY TEAM: The Jay Team was as good as advertised last night. They combined for 70 points, hitting 61% from the field. Tatum was a monster on the boards, grabbing a team-high 12 caroms. He was also tea-high on plus/minus with a +10.

9.) JOEL EMBIID: Marcus Smart and Joel Embiid just don't get along - to say the least. It might be said they actually hate each other, The dustup between the two where I worried that Embiid was going to tear The Wolverine's arm off will no doubt resurface in future meetings between the two rival teams.

10) THE GAME: I loved this game. What a way to start the season!