NBA Playoffs: Celtics vs 76ers Preview
After the Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks in game seven at TD Garden on Saturday night, one of the most iconic NBA rivalries was renewed. Monday night marks Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers, a matchup that has given us historic showdowns like Bird vs Dr. J and Pierce vs Iverson. Now, the future of the NBA will be on full display with Embiid and Simmons vs Brown and Tatum.
At the beginning of this season, we all expected the Celtics to be here when they added two all-stars in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. However, when Hayward went down in the first five minutes of the season, and Kyrie was shut down in mid-march for season-ending surgery, the Celtics playoff expectations were in the air. Not to mention their best defensive player in Marcus Smart missed multiple games due to hand surgery. Despite these roadblocks, the Celtics are still here.
“The Process” Ahead of Schedule
Joel Embiid has been telling us to “Trust the Process” ever since he was drafted in 2014 . We all might of laughed this off because of Embiid’s outgoing personality, but the process is moving fast and the 76ers are a legit threat in the East. They have been lead by their two rising young stars in Embiid, and the favorite to win the NBA rookie of the year, Ben Simmons. Both young stars were hit by the injury bug in their early careers, but we are finally getting to see the hype the Sixers fans have been waiting for.
Despite winning the regular season matchup (3-1 in favor of Boston) the Celtics have their hands full with Sixers for sure. We can’t ignore the run the Sixers went on at the end of the year. Simmons was an absolute beast and Markelle Fultz has come back into the fold for Philly. The Sixers are also a much better shooting team than the Bucks. Boston will have to up their perimeter defense against the likes of JJ Redick, Dario Saric, Belinelli and others. Not to mention Embiid, who is able to able to step back and knock down jumpers and help space the floor. Brad Stevens is a big believer in position-less basketball so it will be interesting to see how he sets the lineup this series.
Key Matchups
Personally, I’d like to see Brown on Simmons, Rozier on Redick, Tatum on Covington, Horford on Saric, and Baynes on Embiid. With Simmons playing point guard and standing at 6’10, he is an absolute nightmare matchup.We haven't seen a guard with this size, speed, and passing ability since probably Magic Johnson (a little premature, I know). The key for the Celtics is to play Simmons similar to how they handled Giannis in the first round -- make him shoot from the outside (Simmons was 0 for 11 this season from 3 point range). Simmons relies on getting to the hoop and getting transition baskets. If the Celtics can force him to shoot from the perimeter, they have a shot to frustrate Simmons and take him out of his game. Given Simmons ability to get in the paint and Embiid’s prowess on the boards, Aron Baynes and Greg Monroe ability to challenge at the rim and contain Embiid are critical. Their priority is to stop Embiid and limit him from taking over this series.
When it comes to the bench, it’s an even split. Both teams have productive guys off the bench. For Boston, Marcus Morris coming off the bench is instant offense for the second unit. Marcus Smart on the other hand can come in and really guard everyone but Embiid I would say. When Embiid comes out of the game, look for Stevens to call upon Monroe to get some easy buckets against former Celtic, Amir Johnson. However, the Celtics second unit needs to be aware of the Sixers bench players as well. I like Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli. Don’t forget about the the #1 pick in the draft, Markelle Fultz who looks like he’s slowly gaining confidence back in his game.
While the Sixers may have the edge in talent on the floor, the Celtics have the clear advantage in the coaching. However, despite the string of losing seasons in Philadelphia recently, you can’t ignore the job Brett Brown has done to turn a tanking franchise into a 52-win regular season and a playoff berth.
A roster full of lottery picks and key role players means the 76ers future is here, and, with the return of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward in 2019, one thing is certain -- the rivalry is back and is here to stay for years to come.
My prediction:
Celtics in 7
Written by: Mike Mello
