18 thoughts and tidbits on Sixers vs. Celtics 1st-round series originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Though there’s nothing unfamiliar about the Sixers’ first-round playoff opponent, the team’s upcoming series vs. the Celtics is still full of storylines.
Before Game 1 Sunday afternoon in Boston, here are 18 thoughts and tidbits on the series:
1. Boston isn’t invincible, but the Celtics are very strong and just about everyone will reasonably pick them to win this series.
Since starting 5-7, Boston has gone 51-19. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Celtics rank second in offensive rating outside of garbage time and fourth in defensive rating over those 70 games.
Counting their play-in tournament win over the Magic, the Sixers are 46-37. They won’t need to force the underdog role whatsoever.
2. As has been the case in plenty of prior postseasons, the great unknown is Joel Embiid.
The Sixers’ star center underwent an appendectomy last week and is out indefinitely. Embiid’s instinct has always been to rush back from injury in the playoffs, although appendicitis is obviously not a traditional basketball ailment.
For now, the Sixers haven’t given any indications that Embiid has a targeted return date. They were happy to have him in attendance for Wednesday night’s victory. Embiid stopped by the Sixers’ locker room pregame and cheered from the bench.
“I’d talked to him via phone and I was surprised to see him there,” Tyrese Maxey said. “I gave him a big hug. I’m glad to see him and his spirits are high. We’re happy for him.”
3. Embiid’s on-court presence remains invaluable to the Sixers and he played at an All-Star level in many of his 38 games this season. The Sixers were 24-14 when he was available. Excluding the play-in, they went 21-23 without him.
4. The Sixers aren’t satisfied just to have cracked the playoffs again. However, a year after enduring nonstop injuries and finishing 24-58, returning to the postseason is certainly meaningful.
“I told the guys I’m proud of them,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said Wednesday. “There’s many times this season I’ve told them I’m proud of them for how they kind of picked themselves up and kept playing. This was another example tonight with some stakes and some pressures. We played extremely hard. I thought we made a lot of winning plays.
“And to go back to the opening press conference of the year, I said, ‘We’ve got a really, really big hole to dig out of and we want to get into the tournament somehow.’ It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t pretty, but we’re here and now we’ve got to see what we can do with it.”
5. The Celtics and Sixers split their four-game series in the regular season. The first three games were all ultra-close and entertaining. On opening night, Maxey and VJ Edgecombe totaled 74 points and the Sixers stormed back to win in Boston. The Sixers’ speedy, tireless backcourt would love to rekindle that magic in Game 1.
6. Watching the tape of the season series, it’s remarkable that the Celtics had such an excellent year amid a rather high volume of roster and rotation changes. Xavier Tillman, Anfernee Simons, Josh Minott and Chris Boucher were all in the Celtics’ rotation for the opener and they’re no longer on the team.
7. By far the most notable in-season Celtics addition was Jayson Tatum. He’s played 16 games since returning from a ruptured Achilles tendon and averaged 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists. Even if he’s a bit worse than his norm as a shooter and isn’t incredibly explosive in the playoffs, Tatum should clearly make the Celtics harder to beat.
8. Paul George also played zero of the four Sixers-Celtics regular-season games. He appeared in the Sixers’ final 10 games of the season after serving a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy and posted 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals per contest.
To upset the Celtics, we imagine the Sixers will need George to score in isolation, easing the offensive burden on Maxey; launch catch-and-shoot three-pointers and make a fair number; play high-quality defense on Boston’s stars while avoiding foul trouble; and provide veteran steadiness to a Sixers rotation without much playoff experience.
That’s asking a lot, but George has shown signs post-suspension that he’s much healthier and capable of playing like a star.
9. In sizing up the Celtics, George nicely captured the stiff test ahead.
“We’re playing against winners,” he said. “We’re playing against champions. This is where they play their best basketball. We respect that. We’re going to have to challenge that. They’ve been great for a couple years now. They’re a well-oiled machine.
“Great coach, great roster. Two studs, two superstars over there and just a ton of guys that know how to play the right way. It’s going to be a challenge. We’ve just got to be ready for it.”
Jaylen Brown’s a five-time All-Star and Tatum’s a six-time All-Star. Other important pieces from the Celtics’ 2023-24 championship-winning team are still in Boston, among them Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. Joe Mazzulla has a 238-90 record (72.6 winning percentage) in four years as head coach.
10. The Celtics have a well-earned reputation as a team that bombs away from long range. They were third in the NBA in three-point frequency.
Boston can also hurt the Sixers inside the arc, though. Both Brown and Pritchard torched the Sixers in the mid-range to propel the Celtics to a big first-half lead back on Halloween.
If the Sixers get caught on screens, make small mistakes defending drivers, or fail to fully stop the ball in transition, the Celtics will take and make comfortable two-point looks.
11. The fact that Boston relied on its half-court offense more than any other team this season may be a small silver lining for the Sixers.
The Celtics had the NBA’s slowest pace. They also ranked last in transition frequency, per Cleaning the Glass. Mazzulla may very well encourage his team to play faster than usual and target the Sixers’ transition defense, which has often struggled. But at their core, the Celtics lean heavily on their half-court offense.
12. As would be the case against almost any opponent, the Sixers’ defensive rebounding is a serious concern.
They were 27th in the NBA in defensive rebounding rate. The Celtics were fifth in offensive rebounding rate. Neemias Queta was dominant on the glass against Andre Drummond and the Sixers in Boston’s March 1 win. He posted a career-high 27 points, 17 rebounds (10 offensive) and three blocks.
Queta’s a true 7-footer and an outstanding athlete. Assuming Embiid stays out to start the series, the Sixers’ center pair of Drummond and Adem Bona must be better against him, especially in the rebounding department.
13. Maxey’s lingering right pinky finger injury shouldn’t be an afterthought.
As he acknowledged after the play-in win, that taped-up finger has been impacting his jumper. Although he wasn’t his most efficient vs. Orlando — 31 points on 11-for-25 shooting (3 for 9 from three-point range) — Maxey wasn’t reluctant to fire.
“It’s just a comfort thing,” Maxey said postgame. “Sometimes the ball feels a little different … but I’m not going to make any excuse. The Indiana game, I was trying to get up more threes just so I could see OK, where do I feel comfortable at? I’ve got to shoot ‘em and I’ve got to make ‘em for this team.
“That’s how we win games and that’s just my game. It helps me with everything else. … That’s the biggest thing for me, comfort level. But I’m comfortable. It is what it is. It’s the playoffs and everybody’s probably banged up.”
14. The Sixers only used a three-man bench vs. the Magic. That surely won’t be sustainable (or optimal) for an entire best-of-seven series. Justin Edwards would be a logical addition to the rotation for this matchup.
At his best, Edwards is a competitive wing defender with a knack for finding and sinking open jumpers. He’s unafraid to take important shots, too. The 22-year-old lefty had a memorable night vs. the Celtics on Nov. 11, making his first eight field goals. He finally was off on a late go-ahead jumper attempt, but Kelly Oubre Jr. snagged the rebound and made a put-back lay-in.
“Game-winning miss,” Edwards said.
15. Some of the defensive assignments are easy to predict. For instance, as he did in the regular season, Oubre will spend a ton of possessions guarding Brown.
We’ll also highlight Jordan Walsh’s defense on Maxey as a significant, intriguing option for Boston. According to NBA.com, Maxey shot 1 for 9 with Walsh defending him in that Nov. 11 game. Walsh has a tenacious approach and a 7-2 wingspan.
16. During the Embiid era, the Sixers have lost series to the Celtics in 2018 (4-1), 2020 (4-0) and 2023 (4-3). Their last series win over Boston was 44 years ago.
17. There was a lot for the Sixers to like from that 2023 second-round series until they got blown out in Game 7.
James Harden was magnificent on multiple occasions, including a 45-point performance in an Embiid-less Game 1 win and a 42-point outing in the Sixers’ overtime Game 4 victory. Embiid raised the MVP trophy at home before Game 3. Role players like De’Anthony Melton, Georges Niang and Danuel House Jr. had bright moments.
Of course, it didn’t quite add up to enough. The Sixers failed to finish off the Celtics in Game 6 and played a terrible third quarter in Game 7. They were left to wonder what would’ve happened against the eighth-seeded Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
18. The one player in the series who’s been both a Sixer and a Celtic is 35-year-old Boston big man Nikola Vucevic.
On the executive side, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey started his NBA career with the Celtics. Assistant general manager Jameer Nelson had a six-game playing stint as a Celtic during the 2014-15 season.
Sixers assistant coach Mike Longabardi won a title with the 2007-08 Celtics. Mazzulla has several former Sixers coaches on his staff in Sam Cassell, DJ MacLeay and Tyler Lashbrook. Cassell grew close with Maxey during his Sixers years and played a major part in him developing into a superstar.
