The Philadelphia 76ers vs. the Boston Celtics is officially the matchup in the Eastern Conference semifinals with Game 1 of this series set for Monday at the TD Garden. The challenge will be a tall task, but there is a chance for the Sixers to reach the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001.
Thanks to a balanced attack, the Celtics took three out of four matchups from the Sixers during the regular season. The Cs were able to turn to just about anybody to produce for them out on the floor and that is something that coach Doc Rivers and co. will have to contend with.
Of course, the big question in this series is the status of Joel Embiid who is dealing with a sprained LCL. His status will be closely monitored leading into Game 1 on Monday.
Before the series begins, we preview the series and break down the matchups and the X-factors as well as give a prediction for this series
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Maxey had a tough time getting going against the Celtics in the regular season. In the four games with Boston, coming off the bench twice, he only averaged 10.0 points and shot 35.4% from the floor and 21.4% from deep. The Celtics have legitimate perimeter defenders in Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, and others. They also have smart big men who can stymie Maxey when he gets to the rim.
Getting Maxey going has to be paramount on offense. With Embiid’s injury, they will need the young guard out of Kentucky to get going and find a way to score consistently and find open looks.
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James Harden was able to get to the rim in Round 1 against the Nets, but it was finishing at the rim that gave him trouble. He shot only 24% on layups in Round 1 against Brooklyn and he has to be able to convert on those looks against the Celtics. As with Maxey, Philadelphia will need Harden to lead the way on the offensive end until the big fella returns.
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Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are going to give the Sixers a lot of headaches throughout the series. Philadelphia will likely blitz both of them when given the opportunity and in the half court, one can assume that Tobias Harris will be assigned to one of them while PJ Tucker gets the other.
In the four games during the regular season, Tatum averaged 21.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, but he shot only 28.6% from deep. Brown played three games against the Sixers and…
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