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5 things to know about the Celtics’ first-round playoff opponent
It's Celtics-76ers once again in the playoffs. Get to know Philadelphia ahead of Sunday's matchup.
The Celtics and 76ers are set to meet in the playoffs once again.
When Boston and Philadelphia tip off Game 1 of the first-round at TD Garden on Sunday, it will mark an NBA-record 23rd postseason series between the two teams.
These teams split the regular-season series, and three of the games were decided by two points or less. It has been a competitive matchup despite the health struggles of former league MVP Joel Embiid.
The 76ers have a young and explosive backcourt, headlined by Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe. The Celtics have a proven championship-caliber core with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White leading the way.
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The last time these teams met in the playoffs, Tatum closed out Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinals with a 51-point performance at TD Garden.
As we gear up for another Boston-Philly playoff battle, here are five things to know about this year’s 76ers team.
It’s not clear when Joel Embiid will be back.
Embiid has not played since April 6th.
He underwent an emergency appendectomy in Houston last week, where he was a late lineup scratch for a game against the Rockets.
The team has since said that there is no timeline for his return. He missed Philadelphia’s play-in tournament win against Orlando Wednesday night.
ESPN’s Shams Charania described Embiid’s status heading into the playoffs as “doubtful”, saying that there are two parts to the return process – recovering from the surgery and doing physical rehab work.
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Embiid has played in just 38 games this season. He has been effective when healthy, averaging 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 blocks. But, his availability has been a consistent question mark with him missing more than half of the regular-season games.
The 76ers beat the Celtics on opening night with Embiid shooting 1-for-9 from the field. He did not play in Philadelphia’s Nov. 11 win against the Celtics.
Tyrese Maxey’s performance against the Celtics has been a mixed bag.
Maxey was spectacular on opening night, dropping 40 points while drilling seven of his nine 3-pointers and chipping in nine assists.
When he plays like that, the Sixers are dangerous. They don’t have a ton of firepower around him, but he is capable of taking over games.
The Celtics, however, seemed to figure Maxey out a little bit as the season went on. He shot a combined 9-for-51 over the last two matchups with the Celtics.
Paul George has been heating up recently, but at age 35 he’s not the same player that he once was. It’s not clear how long Embiid could be out. Edgecombe seems to be a real X-factor here, along with how Maxey plays.
Celtics have a chance to dominate on the glass.
The Sixers are an average rebounding team. They’re 17th in the NBA in rebounding per game. Rebounding appeared to be a weakness for the Celtics at the beginning of the year, but they’ve since turned it into a strength.
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They’ve morphed into a top-3 rebounding team, and rebounding has been the most consistent part of Jayson Tatum’s game since he returned from his injury.
Philadelphia is giving up 12 offensive rebounds per game and 15.8 second-chance points per game. Both numbers put them in the bottom-six of the league, while the Celtics are top-7 in both.
The Celtics out-rebounded the Sixers in all four regular-season games, and their aggressiveness on the glass will be key in the postseason.
Neither team turns the ball over much.
These are two of the top-five teams in terms of committing the fewest turnovers. The Celtics are No. 1 and the 76ers are No. 5.
On the flip side, they’re both in the bottom-three on the assist-per-game list.
Taking care of the ball is crucial in the playoffs, and it’s something that both teams do really well.
It will be interesting to see which team gets rattled more in clutch situations.
Making it past the first-round has been a struggle for Philadelphia.
The 76ers have made it past the first-round just six times in the past 20 years.
They’ve lost in the first round four times during that span and have had a number of years where they missed the playoffs entirely. Philadelphia hasn’t made it to the Conference Finals since 2001.
The last time they made it past the first round was when the Celtics eliminated them in the following round in 2023.
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