Nothing beats a good old-fashioned sports rivalry. For the Boston Celtics, their longtime feud with the Philadelphia 76ers is as old-fashioned as it gets.
Throughout NBA history, Boston and Philly have squared off in the playoffs more than any other pair of teams. Since 1949, the franchises have faced off in 21 postseason series over a 74-year span. Their 22nd matchup begins Monday, May 1.
The Celtics will host Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at TD Garden, where the Sixers may have to start the series without Joel Embiid. The superstar big man suffered an unfortunate right knee sprain in the first round versus Brooklyn. Philly has listed Embiid as doubtful ahead of Monday’s matchup, and reports suggest that he could miss both of the first two games in Boston.
Source: Joel Embiid is experiencing a lot of pain in that right knee. His LCL sprain is typically a 4-6 week recovery. I’m told it would be a pleasant surprise if he were able to play in either of the first two games in Boston.
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) April 29, 2023
This untimely news does not bode well for the Sixers, who have already struggled with the postseason Celtics in recent years. Boston is 8-1 in its last nine playoff games against Philly, sweeping the Sixers in the 2020 first round and winning 4-1 in the 2018 second round.
While the Celtics own a 14-7 all-time record in playoff meetings with the Sixers, Beantown has won five straight series in the rivalry, dating back to a 4-1 win in the 1985 Eastern Conference Finals. In order to make it six straight, the Celtics need to bring the same energy that propelled them to the NBA Finals a season ago.
In preparation for Game 1, Jaylen Brown talked to Boston media about carrying over the intensity the Celtics displayed in Game 6 against Atlanta.
"“I definitely think Atlanta made us have to fight. Atlanta brought the fight to us, and that’s something we’re gonna need going through these playoffs. Hopefully, we’ll be able to carry that on.”"
The Cs went 3-1 against the Sixers in the regular season, suffering their lone loss when Embiid exploded for 52 points in Philly and Brown was out with back pain. Boston’s most memorable victory came on Feb. 25 when Tatum hit an electric step-back 3-pointer for a 110-107 road win.
JT CALLED GAME 🤯 🤯 🤯 pic.twitter.com/qkchuiVdHF
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 26, 2023
While they didn’t play their best basketball versus the Sixers, Boston’s two All-Stars still averaged a combined 41.7 points per game against their Eastern Conference rival this season. So far in these playoffs, the Jays have averaged 53.9 points per game on 49.8% shooting.
Boston also showcased superior depth in its season series with Philly as the Celtics bench produced 120 points across four contests. In contrast, the Sixers bench mustered just 54 total bench points, good for a measly 13.5 bench points per game.
Elite depth and star power should help the Celtics in a big way during their second-round showdown. However, the team will need to focus on some specific areas of the game to ensure that they advance past Philly.
Here are some underrated keys to a Boston Celtics victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.