PJ Tucker Warns 76ers Series vs. Celtics Not Over Yet
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The Philadelphia 76ers brought in the veteran forward PJ Tucker to add reliable three-point shooting from the corners, along with defensive and mental toughness.
However, they also brought Tucker in to remind the team that when they start feeling comfortable, it’s still crunch time, and they are not out of the woods just yet.
In the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the Sixers took care of business against the Brooklyn Nets with a series sweep. The road clearly got tougher as the Sixers went from battling a sixth-seeded Brooklyn team to taking on a second-seeded Boston Celtics team that just made a run to the NBA Finals last season.
While the Sixers trailed 2-1 following a loss last Friday night, they took their second lead of the series after firing off two-straight wins in Game 4 and 5, with the latter coming on Tuesday night on the road in Boston, where the Sixers picked up their most comfortable win of the series.
All went well for the Sixers during their second trip to Boston, but Tucker had a clear-cut message to his team; the series isn’t over yet, and it’s not time to celebrate.
“Even keeled, humble, hungry, and do the same things we’ve been doing,” PJ Tucker said, revealing his message to his teammates, according to Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. “I told everybody we’re not excited. We expect to win, but at the same time, we respect our opponents, and we’re gonna come out and play hard because we know they are.”
“It feels good to get a chance to close out at home, but it’s not over,” he continued. “We still gotta play. They’re gonna come, they’re gonna give us everything they got, and it’s just one of those games that it’s gonna be emotional, but we got to keep our heads and stay focused and keep our mind on the goal.”
The Sixers and the Celtics will meet for Game 6 on Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center. A win for Philadelphia would send the Sixers to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the Allen Iverson era in the early 2000s.
A loss for the 76ers would force a Game 7, causing Philadelphia to travel back to TD Garden to take on the Celtics in a hostile environment. While the Sixers won two of their three games in Boston this season, a third victory on the road in this series is far from a guarantee.
Tucker and the Sixers have to come out with the same mentality on Thursday by staying locked in and focused on playing as a team. As the Sixers looked comfortable, sharing the ball and playing aggressively overall on Tuesday, they managed to gel as a unit and picked up a 115-103 win.
The key to moving forward is remaining consistent in Thursday’s Game 6 battle.