Celtics Rival Gets Massive Boost With Imminent Return Of Superstar

The Celtics cruised to the No. 1 seed in the East but one of their chief rivals in the conference is about to get much stronger and pose a threat to Boston's NBA title hopes.

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported Monday that Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is expected to make his return as soon as Tuesday after being out since Jan. 30. The reigning NBA MVP was sidelined due to a left knee injury and he had surgery on his lateral meniscus in early February.

The timing of Embiid's return really couldn't be any better with the 76ers having just seven games left to play in the regular season and the playoffs just around the corner. The remaining regular-season slate will help Embiid get into game shape and knock off some rust. Charania noted that Embiid has gone through five-on-five scrimmages in recent practices.

Philadelphia went 11-18 without Embiid, who averaged 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 34 games this season. The 76ers were near the top of the Eastern Conference standings with Embiid in the lineup, but have fallen off dramatically since his injury. Philadelphia looks headed for the play-in tournament as it sits in eighth place with a 40-35 record, putting it 1 1/2 games behind the seventh-seeded Miami Heat.

But with Embiid back, the 76ers aren't going to be an opponent any team will want to see in the first round of the playoffs. And if they stay in their current position, they would take on the Celtics in the opening round.

That's certainly not what the Celtics were expecting in a first-round opponent and if they do match up with the 76ers to start the postseason, the road to Banner 18 just got much tougher.