The Philadelphia 76ers made a major defensive adjustment between Games 4 and 5 of their first-round playoff matchup with the Boston Celtics, and it may have saved their season.
All season long, the Sixers displayed a maddening tendency to overhelp into the lane and off of perimeter shooters, leaving said shooters wide open to knock down shots from beyond the arc. They continued with that approach early into the series with the Celtics, and it came back to bite them, which isn’t surprising because basically everyone who touches the floor for Boston is a threat from long range. The Celtics knocked down 20 3-pointers in Game 3 and 24 in Game 4.
76ers Stopped Overhelping Off Celtics’ Shooters in Game 5 Victory
GettyBOSTON, MA – APRIL 19: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics dishes the ball out from the defense of Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at TD Garden on April 19, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
In Game 5, the Sixers stopped overhelping as much and stuck closer to shooters, with great success. Boston connected on just 11 triples in the game, which was their lowest total of the series. They weren’t getting nearly as many clean looks as they were in the previous games in the series.
After the game, 76ers players discussed what changed defensively to led to their critical victory in Game 5.
“We just felt like we were just over helping a little too much last game,” reserve guard Quentin Grimes said. “They had a lot of wide open 3s. That’s what they like to do. I feel like [in Game 5], we stuck to the game plan, stay solid, guard our man, and just made them take tough 2s.”
Star center Joel Embiid agreed with Grimes’ assessment.
“I thought defensively we did a much better job, especially not overhelping as we did last game,” Embiid said.
Fans and media members in Philadelphia have been calling for the Sixers to stop with the overhelping scheme for months now. Those people are probably wondering what took so long. Better late than never, though. Moving forward in the series, the Sixers should try to stay home on shooters as much as possible, as opposed to offering extra – and often unnecessary – help on drivers.
Rebounding Must Continue to be a Priority for 76ers Against Boston
The Sixers also made a more concerted effort to rebound after getting dominated on the defensive glass earlier in the series. Star guard Tyrese Maxey deserves credit here, as he pulled down an impressive 10 rebounds in Philadelphia’s Game 5 win.
After the game, Maxey expressed frustration regarding Philadelphia’s rebounding struggles said that being better on the glass was a focus for him heading into the game.
“I’m just tired of giving up rebounds,” Maxey said. “You want to be completely honest with me? I’m just tired of it. I’m just tired of giving up rebounds, man. It’s not a good feeling. We play really good defense. A lot of these times that we give up these rebounds, even today, it was a couple of times, like, man, it’s just like we play so hard defensively. Like we’ve got to reward ourselves.”
The Sixers will need to continue to keep the same emphasis and focus on the glass and on staying home on shooters if they’re going to extend the series again and force a do-or-die Game 7 back in Boston.
76ers Reveal Major Defensive Adjustment That Led to Game 5 Win vs. Celtics