76ers vs Celtics, 1:00 ETWe had a full day of hoops happen yesterday as the first half of the NBA playoff series took place. I’ve already stressed how much I love Playoff basketball, but it really doesn’t get better than this. In this series, we have two passionate fan bases coming head-to-head as the 76ers take on theCeltics.The 76ers got here by winning the Play-In Game. They were probably the best-looking team in the Play-In series as they won at home and by double digits. There is still reason to be concerned about Philadelphia, though. There are a number of questions about Joel Embiid and his availability after an appendectomy. With a healthy Embiid, it seems like the 76ers would have a major advantage, as the worst position the Celtics have is the Center spot. Nikola Vucevic was repeatedly tormented by Embiid when he was with the Bulls. However, we don’t really know what shape he will be in if he plays. The team will need Tyrese Maxey and Paul George to be extremely aggressive and efficient in order to have hope in this series. I don’t find the 76ers to be overly deep, but in the playoffs, as benches get shorter, they could at least put up a fight.
Philadelphia 76er combo guard Tyrese Maxey Philadelphia drives to the hoop on Heat big Bam Adebayo at Kaseya Center in Miami. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
TheCelticswent from being a team that no one expected to go anywhere to a team that ended up second in the East. It seems crazy to say they had low expectations, but that’s what happens when your second-best player (yeah, I said what I said) is injured and not expected back this year. And, when the team trades away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in the offseason, it doesn’t make people think Boston would be great. Jaylen Brown, the best Celtic player, had other ideas and played like an MVP candidate this year. Brown, already the owner of a Finals MVP, could help lead Boston to another deep run if the team is healthy. Sure, it helps that Tatum is back, but I still expect them to be cautious with him - but this series is one Boston could win without him, even if he doesn’t want to come back as a role player.I’m not sure about the spread for this game. I can make a fairly compelling case for both. The 76ers have less rust and usually try to pull out all the stops to steal a game on the road. There is the element of surprise here, so it is possible they could progress. On the Celtics side, you’re at home, have a major advantage, especially if Embiid is not back, which it looks like he won’t be at the time of this article. I do think this game will be more offense than defense. I don’t think the teams need to feel each other out. Boston will chuck up threes, and Philly, without Embiid, is at their best when they play with more pace. Give me the over 212.5.
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