Terry Rozier's steady hand, Jayson Tatum making history and more takeaways from Game 3

Leftover thoughts and observations after the Celtics' thrilling Game 3 win Saturday in Philadelphia.

1. Jayson Tatum making history: The rookie became the first player in NBA history to score 20-plus points in five consecutive playoff games at the age of 20 or younger, according to Elias Sports. The fact Tatum is proving to be capable of putting up those kinds of numbers despite having a spotty 3-point shot this postseason (30.8 percent from downtown) is a tremendous development, considering that was his strength all year long. As defenses have ratcheted up the intensity in the postseason, Tatum’s taking his game more into the paint -- and he’s succeeding, as evidenced by his 10-of-13 shooting mark from inside the arc in Game 3 on his way to a team-high 24 points. His handle needs some work at times (four turnovers), but he’s showing great awareness when defenses collapse (team-high four assists in Game 3) on him.



2. A lack of awareness by Ben Simmons with the game on the line: The Sixers had the ball and a one-point lead with 17 seconds left in overtime. The smart decision in that situation is to always force the other team to foul, unless you're getting a layup or a dunk. Simmons got neither as he tried for a putback that clanked off the iron and allowed the Celtics to get a long rebound with 14 seconds left.

“I got a shot that I practice a lot right next to the rim,” Simmons said. “You never know what can happen after that. I've got a wide open shot I make a lot of the time (but) I missed it.”

Brett Brown was supportive of his star guard -- who posted 16 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, four turnovers, two blocks and a steal in 43 minute -- after the fact.

“I think if it was a point-blank dunk, you probably would take that. But he didn't do it,” Brown said. “It's true he makes that all the time in practice. There's (18) seconds left. If we had it again, you probably bring it right back out and let them chase you and follow you and chew up the clock. On so many levels, this being one of them, or examples, it's the thing that I see and feel the most and sort of internally hear the loudest -- that our young guys, at times, look young.”

Simmons obviously is going to stuff the box score on a nightly basis for the rest of his career, but game awareness is a crucial aspect of success, particularly in the postseason. He may have not wanted to get fouled (66 percent free throw shooter in playoffs) but there was no reason he couldn’t have dumped that back to a teammate in that spot, if that was the case. The right  play could have changed everything in that situation. Instead, the Celtics got the ball with plenty of time and no need to shoot a 3 to go for a tie or the win.

3. Terry Rozier’s steady play: The point guard played a game-high 44 minutes on Saturday night without any turnovers. That followed up 38 minutes in Game 2 without any turnovers. Putting together 82 minutes of mistake-free basketball for a point guard in the postseason may be the most impressive aspect of the 24-year-old's overall performance this series. He's averaging 22.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists in the Eastern Conference Semifinals overall, and arguably making his case for MVP of the series. After getting over the road hump in Game 3 with 18 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-15 shooting, there are starting to become fewer and fewer question marks about his game.

4. Finding a way without the 3-point line: The Celtics have leaned on the deep ball all postseason long on the road with poor results. They got plenty of open looks from downtown yet again in Game 3, and still shot a paltry 10-of-38 from downtown. The fact Boston was able to overcome lackluster shooting with some nice work on the glass (10 second-chance points) and in the paint (46 points) speaks volumes, but the awareness the C’s showed in overtime also was telling. The team took seven field-goal attempts in the frame and all of them came from inside the arc. After the 3-ball let the team down all day, they decided they wouldn’t live and die by it with the game on the line, despite falling behind by five points early in overtime. Shooting 57 percent from the field on a mix of high percentage looks from Al Horford and Tatum proved to be the difference in the extra frame. It was an encouraging to see this group learn its lesson from Milwaukee when it comes to execution in a tough spot.