The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are set up for the ultimate youth playoff battle
The Eastern Conference is going to be a fascinating place in the playoffs, and late surges by the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, despite brutal injuries, has created a lot more intrigue for the second round.
Right now, the 76ers have actually managed to pass the Cleveland Cavaliers in the standings, setting up a potential Celtics 76ers battle in the second round of the playoffs.
Obviously, both of these teams are going to be challenged in the first round, and nothing can be taken for granted with two teams that will need the youngest players on the roster to be the best players on the team, especially with their injury situations.
That being said, they have both proven that they are capable of getting out of the first round, no matter who the potential opponent might be at this point. If that is the case, we will be getting the ultimate futures battle, with arguably the two best young cores going head to head in a way that we almost never get to see.
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Normally teams that have so many young players with so much responsibility are battling for the best odds at the number one pick, like the Phoenix Suns are doing right now. There are different reasons on both sides, but these young cores are just a bit different than the rest of the NBA, because they do look ready to get some wins in the playoffs, and take on the kind of role that very few saw coming.
Both of these young cores are also embracing versatility as much as anyone else. The 76ers have one of the most dominant defensive centers in the game in Joel Embiid, who handles the ball and shoots threes. Then they have a 6’10 point guard in Ben Simmons, and a power forward who can shoot with anyone in Dario Saric.
The 76ers have players that are simply impossible to account for, and are transforming the way the NBA looks. The only way you can hope to battle that kind of special talent, is with unlimited defensive versatility, and that is exactly what the Celtics looked for in their youth.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart are all expected to guard multiple position on defense, while playing interchangeably on offense. You need to be able to throw different looks at the kind of talent the 76ers have, and that is exactly what the Celtics have in their young players.
Both of these teams still have things to figure out with their health, and are much further from their potential that many other teams in the East. That being said, these young cores look like they are ready to get some playoff wins, and if they can hold things together in the first round, we could be getting the first playoff series in a rivalry that could come to define the Eastern Conference for a generation.
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It is very rare that you get a chance to see the best young talent in the NBA compete in a playoff series, and there is all kinds of history to go back to between these teams as well. Both of them believe that they have the best future core of players in the NBA, and a potential winner in this series will be getting ready to finally be the team that eventually takes over from the reign of King James.