In many ways, the NBA playoffs have become a war of attrition in recent years. It’s as much about which teams can stay upright as anything. With the pace and physicality of the modern game, players are dropping like flies, and teams are largely compromised by this point in the season.
As they say, nobody is 100% in the playoffs. But some teams are certainly closer than others. The Celtics, all things considered, seem to be about as healthy as possible at the best time, and that’s something they need to take advantage of.
And for Boston, the best way they can take advantage of their health is by getting through their first-round series as quickly as possible. You don’t often see teams go through 6-7 game battles all the way to the Finals, so any way to save some mileage in the early rounds is a huge deal.
Considering the next two rounds will likely be bloodbaths against the Knicks and Pistons or Cavaliers, the Celtics would be wise to quickly take care of business against the inferior 76ers. That’s why their lackluster showing in Game Two was such a disappointment. They’ll now need to play at least one extra game in round one, and they’ve given Philly life and belief as they head home that they can extend this series even further.
Joel Embiid starts practicing, closer to playing
And on that note, it’s even more vital for Boston to stop messing around and close out this series, because with each passing game, the Sixers inch a little closer to getting their MVP back. We got word that Joel Embiid was starting a strength and conditioning program at the beginning of the week, and today, Nick Nurse confirmed that Embiid participated in parts of practice.
Said Nurse, “We’re, obviously, really hopeful, and I think he’s really hopeful. He wants to play, and we want him to play. I don’t know how close we are to that at this point, but I think there’s some progress being made.”
It doesn’t sound like a return is necessarily imminent, but the longer this series goes on, the better the chances that the Celtics have to face Embiid. The Sixers already proved to be a thorn in Boston’s side in Game 2 while rolling out Adem Bona and Andre Drummond at center, so you can imagine things would get a lot tougher with Embiid in the mix (not to mention the emotional boost he would give to the team and fanbase).
Whether Embiid comes back or not, by extending this series, the Celtics are making life harder on themselves and opening up the possibility of disaster. Dropping one game is far from the end of the world, and hopefully was just an outlier shooting game that acts as a wake-up call, but they need to focus and take care of business in Philadelphia.
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