For Sixers and their starting guards, margin for error now undeniably
Margin for error now undeniably small for Sixers and their starting guards originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
De’Anthony Melton was the best of the Sixers’ three guards in their Game 3 loss to the Celtics.
The Sixers’ sixth man had a strong game Friday night, playing high-quality defense on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and posting 14 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
More of that from Melton would be great for the Sixers. More of what James Harden and Tyrese Maxey provided in Game 3 would almost certainly result in another second-round exit.
Now down 2-1 in their series against Boston, it would be very surprising if the Sixers can afford another 3-for-14 Harden outing or 4-for-16 Maxey performance. On the night Joel Embiid raised the Michael Jordan MVP Trophy, it was obvious that having a future Hall of Famer does not mean the Sixers can expect to survive mystifying decisions, missed jumpers, and everything else that put the team in a series deficit.
“… It’s hard for me to sit here and think about winning (MVP) when you’re down 2-1 and you’re just trying to find ways you can help and win games, and trying to bring your teammates along,” Embiid said after a 30-point, 13-rebound, four-block evening. “I think that’s the next step for me, to just help everybody else.
“We always talk about it: I’ve got to make the right plays, and I think I’m doing it. But you can’t shoot it for them. We’ve all got to be on the same page. For us to win — and I’ve said it the whole season — we have to be almost perfect. … We don’t have a lot of margin for error. Everybody has to show up and do their job, and that starts with me. I’ve got to be perfect.”
Harden wasn’t too far from perfect to open the series, scoring 45 points in the Sixers’ Game 1 win at TD Garden. Since then, he’s gone 5 for 28 from the floor and 2 for 13 from three-point range.
Robert Williams III is an outstanding shot blocker, Derrick…
