Boston Celtics: C’s playoff victory would likely force big changes in Philadelphia

Should the Boston Celtics defeat the Philadelphia 76ers as expected in the opening round of the playoffs, they will likely force some major changes in the “City of Brotherly Love” this offseason.

At the onset of the 2019-20 NBA season, one of the trendy picks in the Eastern Conference was the Philadelphia 76ers. The idea of signing Al Horford away from the Boston Celtics to form a two-headed juggernaut in the post was supposed to elevate the 76ers to be a top contender in the east.

The actual execution has been another story. Brett Brown has managed to not even secure home-court advantage in the playoffs–not that it really matters in the bubble–and has overseen a lockerroom problem that the 2018-19 Boston Celtics could likely identify with.

Here’s hoping Al isn’t somehow the problem, though he had this to say about the team’s behind-closed-doors relationship:

"There’s some stuff going on in our locker room and we’ll keep that internal. We all know we need to be better. We need to step it up, and it’s a great opportunity to do it tomorrow."

Egos aside, what the 76ers have constructed roster-wise has simply not worked. The spacing between the two non-floor spacing bigs (both shoot below 35 percent from deep) is nonexistent, and alongside Ben Simmons, the highly paid trio was ineffective in the time they shared the floor.

They won’t even have the luxury of having their All-Star point forward on the floor, as Simmons will be out for the rest of the year. That will force Horford back onto the floor after being benched, and will force the clunky center pair with Embiid for lack of an alternative.

Philadelphia tied all of its cap space to Simmons, Embiid, Horford, and Tobias Harris. They lack bench depth and invested in a core that doesn’t fit the mold of the modern NBA.

If things go according to plan and the Boston Celtics defeat Philadelphia, there could be a change starting with general manager Elton Brand, probably down to Brett Brown, and then through the roster, as the new regime would likely trade away some of their big contracts to restructure a team with two legitimate building blocks.

On Monday night, the C’s begin their quest to be the match that lights the flames of Philly’s demise.