The Boston Celtics punched their ticket to to the second round of the NBA Playoffs with a Game 7 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. They now continue their amazing season in a series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Even in a year when the Celtics have overcome incredible obstacles due to injuries, this will be their stiffest test yet. If they are to advance once again, here are the keys.
Match 76ers’ Stars: The Philadelphia 76ers have one of the most talented young tandems in the NBA with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Together, they’ve led Philly to a #3 seed in the Eastern Conference and its first playoff series win in 6 years. Going into the season, the Celtics would have been able to top the 76ers’ starpower with Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, but both are hurt, leaving the Celtics to depend upon Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier, and Jayson Tatum. Thus far, this formula has worked, and the trio has performed at a high level in the postseason. However, against a more talented 76ers team, the Celtics will again have to match the production of bona fide stars. For much of the season, the Celtics offense ran through Kyrie Irving, yet now without him and Jaylen Brown, Brad Stevens has to figure out where his offense will come from––something that will be especially difficult with the injury questions surrounding Brown.
Find Depth: The 76ers have surrounded Simmons and Embiid with an extremely talented mix of young players and veterans. Dario Saric, Robert Covington, and JJ Reddick are consistent contributors that complement one another. In addition, the Sixers’ role players have the capability to actually take over a game, as Redick did when he scored 27 points in Game 5 against the Miami Heat. The 76ers’ bench is also highly dangerous, boasting floor-spacing veteran shooters Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova. For a Celtics team depleted by injuries that have forced bench players into the starting lineup, the 76ers’ depth could give Brad Stevens’ crew fits. Boston needs to--at the very least--contain the Philadelphia bench and role players while also getting production out of its own bench.
Defend Joel Embiid:
Both Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are beasts, but the Celtics are well set up with Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier to defend Simmons as well as can be done. Unfortunately, defending the irrepressible Embiid will be a huge challenge for the Celtics. Containing him is difficult for any team, but the Celtics are short on big men, having only Aron Baynes and Greg Monroe––neither of whom is a particularly strong defensive presence. Their starting center for most of the year has been veteran star Al Horford, who led the Celtics with his 26-point performance in Game 7 against Milwaukee. However, for all his success, Horford is really more of a forward than a traditional center, and thus it is an open question as to whether or not he’ll be able to match up on Embiid defensively while maintaining the level of offensive production the Celtics need from him. Boston doesn’t necessarily need to shut Embiid out every night (though it would help), but they need to contain him enough such that he doesn’t take over the game or series.
Overall, the Celtics have had an incredible season and don’t look to be done yet. This is an unbelievably well-coached, talented squad that has a perseverance and “next man up” attitude, which means they are never an easy out. However, they may have met their match against a supremely talented Philadelphia team. How the series plays out depends on how the Celtics do in these areas; it’s going to be an entertaining (and probably long) series. Enjoy!
Update: Game 1 was a smashing success for the Celtics, with contribution from across their lineup. Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Terry Rozier all stepped up to outmatch Embiid and Simmons. Embiid was successful with 31 points and 13 rebounds, but the supporting cast was stifled by Boston. Especially notable was the Celtics’ success in limiting the effectiveness of Philadelphia’s shooters, as the 76ers shot a dreadful 5 for 26 (19.2%) from beyond the arc. It’s early in the series, but if the Celtics keep this up, the future could very well arrive a year early.
(Statistics from NBA.com)
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