Tucker getting under 76ers’ skin with defense, grit: “We can’t let that intimidate us”
By persistently pestering, poking and prodding Philadelphia during this second-round playoff series, P.J. Tucker has made himself a perpetual pain to the 76ers.
The 76ers suggest they will allow him to go only so far.
“P.J. does what he does,” 76ers forward Danny Green said. “We don’t back down. But you’ve got to play smart. Don’t take any cheap stuff. Don’t give any cheap stuff. Be just as physical as they are. We’re going to check people, get into bodies. Let them know we’re here too. We’re here to win. It’s the type of basketball you want to see.”
Tucker entered Game 4 of this series on Sunday night having gotten under the 76ers’ skin on several occasions, with maniacal on-the-ball defense, hard screens, and on Friday, with a forearm to the back of Matisse Thybulle while they jockeyed for position, leading to a double technical foul for both after Thybulle verbally confronted Tucker in the aftermath.
Speaking about the Thybulle/Tucker incident, 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey said: “Both sides have grown men on their side. We can’t let that intimidate us. They play tough, they’re gritty, but you have to hold your own. At the end of the day, it’s a fight. We’ll take the fight to them instead of being on our heels.”
Tucker’s view of the chippiness and confrontations: “I couldn’t care less. I’m playing basketball. All the extra, I don’t even talk about the fake tough guy talk. We’re playing basketball. Nobody cares. I’m trying to win, do whatever I got to do to win. That’s it, period. That’s all it’s about. That’s all I care about.”
The biggest irritant to opponents has been Tucker’s defense.
During this postseason, the player defended by Tucker has shot 42.9 percent (36 for 84), which is ninth best among all NBA forwards, minimum 80 shots defended. That 42.9 is much worse than the 46.8 percent that those players shoot overall.
In this series, James Harden is four for six against Tucker, but Harden has produced just nine points and three assists (with four turnovers) in parts or all of 99 possessions when he’s defended by Tucker. And the 76ers have scored just 71 points on those 99 possessions.
Even though Harden and Tucker were teammates in Houston, Harden has been unusually sparse in his words discussing Tucker.
After Game 1, Harden said of Tucker’s defense: “Plays hard, but it’s not something that I’m worried about.”
Asked after Game 3 what it’s like to be defended closely by a former teammate, Harden said: “He’s on the other side. It is what it is.”
HARDEN OUTLOOK
Harden has scored only 10 points in the second half of these three games, after scoring 43 in the first half.
A career 24.9 per game scorer, Harden hasn’t topped 22 points in any of nine playoff games. He is still facilitating, but he has also had 15 turnovers to go with 20 assists in this series.
Harden acknowledges that he has moved past the days of needing to score 30 a game.
“I’ve always been the communicator, organizer, trying to get guys in the right positions,” he said. “More now, more than ever. They had two on the ball, doubled me. I had seven turnovers [in Game 3], which is way too many.”
Doc Rivers said: “I know everyone wants him to get 30, but I want him to run the team.”
MORE NEEDED
Erik Spoelstra was unhappy with the Heat’s perimeter defense Friday. Philadelphia made 16 of 33 three-pointers (48.5) after making only 14 of 64 in the first two games. Danny Green made 7 of 9 threes in Game 3.
“I wasn’t pleased,” Spoelstra said. “We made some mistakes on some of those shooters. Danny Green is too good of a shooter [to not get hot]. You don’t want one of those nights where’s it 7 for 9. Four or 5 could have been defended with a better sense of urgency and awareness.
“He still might have made those. But at least you go to bed thinking we did what we needed to. We didn’t help ourselves in terms of defending the three-point line.”
This story was originally published May 8, 2022 at 10:56 AM.
