The Philadelphia 76ers enter their playoff series against the Boston Celtics facing a familiar problem: Joel Embiid’s health. Without their star for at least the first few games, they will face a Celtics team that recently saw the return of star Jayson Tatum.
Game 1: @ Boston - Sunday, April 19 - 1 p.m. ET - ABC
Game 2: @ Boston - Tuesday, April 21 - 7 p.m. ET - Peacock/NBC
Game 3: @ Philadelphia - Friday, April 24 - 7 p.m. ET - Amazon Prime
Game 4: @ Philadelphia - Sunday, April 26 - 7 p.m. ET - NBC
Game 5: @ Boston TBD (if needed)
Game 6: @ Philadelphia TBD (if needed)
Game 7: @ Boston TBS (if needed)
For years, the Sixers have struggled to enter and remain healthy through a playoff cycle, and this season is no different. A number of players have missed time this season, but the big issue has always been Embiid's availability.
Embiid had looked more like himself than in the past few seasons until he was hit with a bout of appendicitis and had to have surgery, keeping him from playing at least in the first few games of this series. While he may be able to take the court at some point, the damage could already be done and too much to overcome for Philadelphia.
Tyrese Maxey is ready to lead this group, as he has all season, having taken a huge leap in his contributions to the team and proving that he's a true star and leader for the franchise. Maxey will have the Sixers' star rookie VJ Edgecombe, right alongside him, as the duo has been fantastic all year. The duo has combined for 44.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 10.8 assists on the season while also getting 3.3 steals per game. The energy, excitement, and talent the two bring are tough for any team to contain.
In addition to the two of them, Paul George, since returning from suspension, has looked to turn back the clock and has been playing some of the best basketball in recent memory. Over his last 10 games, George has averaged 21 points per game, 2.2 steals, and 41.5% on three-point attempts. More importantly for George and the team, he's been able to play 31.1 minutes per game, looking as healthy as he has in a very long time.
The Sixers will still have Kelly Oubre Jr., Quentin Grimes, Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona and Andre Drummond in the rotation against the Celtics, giving them an athletic team that can move and offer some resistance to the Celtics' attack.
Philadelphia's supporting cast will have to play some of their best games of the season, with Grimes especially needed to make a big contribution in his minutes, and Barlow defending the Celtics' frontcourt.
The Celtics seemed to be doomed this season after losing Jayson Tatum to an Achilles injury in last year's playoffs. When Tatum went down on May 25 in Madison Square Garden, it was over for the Celtics. Last seasons playoffs run, this year's entire season, and the hope was that they'd be able to return their star forward at some point in the future.
On March 6, Tatum returned to the lineup with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists in 27 minutes. For the season, he's played just 16 games, but averaged an impressive 21.8 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.3 assists.
The Celtics were doing just fine even without Tatum. In a season when the sky had fallen in Boston at the start and tagging along with the Pacers to the lottery was expected, the Celtics started 8-8 and looked like they would surely have a down season. Since then, the team has gone 48-18 on its way to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Despite losing Tatum for the majority of the season and dumping salary last off-season, no one bothered to tell Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, and the rest of the team that they were supposed to be in the lottery.
The Celtics have held opponents to just 44.2% shooting from the field, the second-lowest in the league, while also turning the ball over the fewest times in the league and coming in sixth in rebounds per game.
The Celtics play a brand of basketball that is selfless and stingy at the same time. They move the ball well, and despite not scoring a ton of points, their defense is smothering and one of the most efficient units in the league. Adding a star of Tatum's caliber just creates more problems for their opponents.
The Sixers, on the other hand, have had issues throughout the year with consistency and shooting, which plays right into the Celtics ' hands. They'll need Maxey and Edgecombe to have great games, every single game, while they await the hopeful return of Joel Embiid.
The problem arises if and when Embiid returns, and at what capacity he will be able to contribute. The Sixers will need to be aggressive on both ends of the court, impacting passing lanes, disrupting shooters, and maneuvering in the post to attack the glass for rebounds. It's a lot to ask of some of the players on the roster, but if you've watched the Celtics at all this season, you will see that it's perfectly attainable.
Philadelphia has lost 15 playoff series against the Celtics in its history, with the last win coming in 1982. Since then, the team has lost six straight series to the Celtics, and this one isn't shaping up to be much different.
The only hope is that everyone comes together at once to take this series and welcome Embiid back for the second round, pushing them further into the playoffs and toward the ultimate goal of a title.
This version of the Celtics was great all season, and then they added one of the better players in the league, who hasn't seemed to miss a beat, which will ultimately lead to a Series win and leave the Sixers wondering how to fix their continued woes.
Celtics 4 - Sixers 1
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