Roundtable: Who our experts think will win in Celtics vs. 76ers first-round series
There appears to be a consensus about which team will advance.
For the third time in five years, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are set to battle in the NBA Playoffs. The two Atlantic Division rivals have the most playoff meetings in league history, so it's safe to say that these two franchises are familiar with each other. The second-seeded Celtics shocked the world by going 56-26 during the regular season despite missing star forward Jayson Tatum for a little over games.
The 45-37 Sixers had to fight their way into the playoff picture via the Play-In Tournament, but the speed and star power of point guard Tyrese Maxey should prevent the C's from underestimating them. The Celtics will officially face the 76ers in the playoffs for the third time in the last five years. The last time they met was in 2023, which most Celtics fans will remember well...
pic. twitter. com/ACwHE1UCzP ā Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) April 16, 2026 During the 2025-26 campaign, the Celtics and Sixers split the season series 2-2.
Boston is still the favorite thanks to Tatum's triumphant return, the growth of star guard Jaylen Brown, and a strong bench that turned out to be deeper than many expected. But before Game 1 tips off on Sunday afternoon at TD Garden, let's see what our NBA Wires writers think about this storied series and dive into their predictions. Justin Quinn - Celtics Wire Like death and Taxes, it can feel all but inevitable for these two Atlantic Division foes to collide in the first round.