Celtics-76ers Series Preview: Philly's Time is Now

The No. 2 seed Boston Celtics and No. 3 seed Philadelphia 76ers will meet in the Eastern Conference Semifinals beginning Monday night in Boston. The Celtics are -310 favorites to advance to the Conference Finals on the FanDuel Sportsbook.

Need to Know

Boston took down Atlanta last night to clinch their advancement, but to say the Celtics are peaking right now would be a stretch. Jayson Tatum didn’t play great, Jaylen Brown was streaky, and Joe Mazzulla was not impressive. Mazzulla probably cost the Celtics Game 5 with his fourth-quarter rotations, giving Joel Embiid two days of extra rest. We cannot see the same version of the Celtics in this series.

Philadelphia swept the Brooklyn Nets like it was nothing and have been sitting home since Sunday resting up. Embiid is the story, as his Game 3 injury was a blow to all of Philadelphia. Still, the Sixers responded incredibly in Game 4, showcasing how much deeper, tougher, and more resilient they are compared to years past. 

It all comes down to Embiid and his knee. He suffered a Grade 1 LCL sprain in Game 3 against the Nets and has been shut down ever since. The presumptive MVP is reportedly only dealing with a one to two-week injury, but it will come down to his pain management and tolerance. He will be out there and will likely be available for Game 1.

He won’t be the main storyline, but this series could come down to Tyrese Maxey. Embiid, Harden, Tatum, and Brown will all get theirs in spots, but Boston has enough scoring options on their bench that they don’t need to rely on Tatum and Brown. However, Philly needs Maxey. He was abysmal against the Celtics the last three games, scoring eight or fewer points in each outing. Maxey acknowledged his struggles against Boston in media availabilities this week and pointed out the week–plus that they had to prepare. Maxey and the Sixers’ coaching staff need to find something to make him more effective against Boston in this series. Otherwise, Philly is in a rough spot.

I’ll get this version of my series pick out of the way quickly; the winner of this series will win the NBA championship. This potential, and hopefully, seven-game series, will be the NBA Finals in my eyes.

Watching previous seasons of Sixers basketball, everyone knew they were always in contention, but no one seriously felt they were a serious postseason threat. This year is different. Embiid is better than ever, Harden is in shape, Maxey is coming to form, Tobias Harris has created a role, and they are deep, tough, and resilient. I trust the Sixers immensely, more than they probably deserve, and I left the Celtics-Hawks series unimpressed by the Celtics’ effort. I see the Sixers knocking off the Celtics in six or seven games and think they are undervalued at +250 to win the series.

• Sixers +1.5 Games

I don’t see this series going five games or fewer. These squads are too talented and too great to allow that to happen. The Sixers should win Game 6 in front of a Philadelphia crowd, whether up or down 3-2 in the series. Too many years of Sixers’ basketball would have been leading up to that point for them to fall short in that moment. I’m excited for what should be the most entertaining and contested series in the entire playoffs.