Examining the Boston Celtics advantages over the Philadelphia 76ers
The Boston Celtics will head into their opening round matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers as heavy favorites
It's official, the Boston Celtics will face the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening round of the playoffs. Nick Nurse's team saw off the Orlando Magic in the play-in tournament to book their spot against Boston. The Celtics have played 16 postseason games against the Sixers during the Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown era.
Boston is 12-4 in those contests. When factoring in Joel Embiid's potential absence, Boston will undoubtedly feel confident of progressing to the second round. Nevertheless, Mazzulla's team must beware of the threat that Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe pose, both as scorers and downhill threats when penetrating off the bounce.
Paul George also cannot be taken lightly. Fortunately for the Celtics, they'll be coming into the series with the best two players in Tatum and Brown. As such, they should be considered favorites to handle their business, most likely ending the Sixers season on a low note.
During a recent episode of "The Celtics Chronicle" podcast, Adam Taylor and Billy Calabrese discussed the Celtics' upcoming duel with the Sixers, breaking down key matchups, potential areas to exploit and predicting how many games it will take for the Celtics to handle their business. You can watch the full podcast episode by clicking on the embedded video above. Watch or listen to the "Celtics Chronicle" podcast on: YouTube: https://bit.