Boston Celtics: 3 keys to series clinching win today against Philadelphia

The Boston Celtics will look to close out their first-round series in sweep fashion today against the Philadelphia 76ers.

A satisfying conclusion to the Boston Celtics’ first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers is so close you can taste it.

After thoroughly outplaying the Sixers for the better part of the past three games, the Cs have an opportunity to end the Eastern Conference quarterfinals early and punch their ticket to the second-round — and a likely date with the Toronto Raptors, up 3-0 against the injury-ravaged Brooklyn Nets.

After an eight-point victory over Philadelphia on Friday night, Boston is in the driver’s seat in what will be the second “away” game of the series against the 76ers. Of course, there is quite the difference between Philly’s league-leading home-court advantage at the Wells Fargo Center and the neutral bubble site in Walt Disney World’s Wide World of Sports complex.

So far, the Cs are 8-3 in the Lake Buena Vista bubble in their seeding games and the first three games of this series against Philadelphia. They have hardly missed a beat since losing Gordon Hayward to a sprained ankle in game two of the series, and figure to be able to continue to withstand his absence against a 76ers team missing All-Star Ben Simmons.

Just how could they shut the door on this pesky series once and for all, though?

After a year of trash-talking between the two fanbases predicated on the poaching of former All-Star-turned-albatross Al Horford and the Markelle Fultz–Jayson Tatum snafu in the 2017 NBA Draft, how can the Boston Celtics send the 76ers packing out of Walt Disney World?

Here are the Houdini’s 3 keys: