Down the stretch of the regular season, for a few games, the Celtics shifted into what looked more like a playoff rotation. They ran the stars big minutes, leaned on the five starters plus Payton Pritchard, and shuffled in one big and one wing off the bench. Other than a few spot minutes, that was pretty much it, and fans figured we were getting a glimpse of the playoff rotation.
But now, the playoffs have started, and that’s not the kind of rotation we saw at all in Game One against the 76ers. Instead, we saw 10 players in the game by the early second quarter, and saw Joe Mazzulla cycle through three different centers, and a pretty equal dose of Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman.
Some of this may have been due to foul trouble as Neemias Queta and Nikola Vucevic both picked up two in the first quarter, and Jaylen Brown had three before half. Some of it also may have been due to the blowout nature of the game, as the Celtics were up double digits within the first few minutes and never looked back.
Celtics have no reason to shorten rotation against 76ers
And some of it may just be the opponent and a lack of respect from the Celtics. We may see a different rotation in Game Two, but it wouldn’t be surprising if we didn’t. After the Game One win, Mazzulla defended the lineups, stating, “We’re going to play our rotation and play our guys. It’s what we’ve done all year, and it’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
Frankly, there’s no reason not to take him at his word. At least in this series. Without Joel Embiid, the Sixers are playing a center rotation of Adem Bona and Andre Drummond with some small-ball five from Dominick Barlow. All of Queta, Vooch, and Luka Garza are more than capable of stacking up with those guys.
The same can be said about the wing players. Scheierman and Walsh have both earned minutes this season, and both looked completely up to the task in Game One. They offer great defense against Tyrese Maxey, a crucial element to this series, and they keep the ball moving, provide energy, and knock down open shots.
Celtics continue relying on superior depth
They are ideal playoff role players in every sense of the word, and there’s no reason that Joe should be taking any of these guys out of the rotation. That’s especially true against a vastly inferior Philly team that has Maxey, an older, lesser version of Paul George, and a lot of role players.
Depth has been an edge for Boston all season long, and that was the case again in Game One. The playoffs are a gauntlet, and if you don't have to put heavy miles on your stars in round one, why would you? Joe knows that. The Celtics know that. And the role players seem more than capable of carrying the load against Philly.
Eventually, the Celtics will likely have to shorten the rotation, and fans will finally find out what that looks like when push comes to shove. But unless we see something drastically different from the Sixers in the next few games, we probably aren’t going to get those answers during the first round.
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