Eastern Conference Semifinals Playoff Preview

(2)Boston Celtics (55-27) Vs (3)Philadelphia 76ers (52-30)

This match-up features the 2nd seed Boston Celtics taking on the 3rd seed 76ers. Boston won the regular season series 3 games to 1. All four games were played early in the year prior to the NBA All-Star Break. Boston lost All-Star PG Kyrie Irving late in the season who was pivotal in their 3 wins against the 76ers. He did not play in their final match-up which was the sole victory for the 76ers.

Boston comes in after defeating the Bucks in a hard fought 7 game series. They have been getting big time contributions from their young role-players. Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum have stepped up big time and have all been instrumental in their success. The Celtics will need them to keep playing well if they are to advance past the 76ers. Boston has home court advantage in this series which could prove crucial if it once again comes down to a game 7.

The 76ers come in after defeating the Heat in 5 games. Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and JJ Reddick have led the 76ers attack. Embiid returned from a game 3 injury against the Heat helping contribute to the win. The 76ers were the first team in the East to end their first round series, they've been waiting on their next opponent for nearly a week. We’ll find out if that extra rest was beneficial or if it knocked them out of their rhythm for game 1.

Both the 76ers and Celtics are relying on some of their youngest players for success. It will be interesting to see how they perform in this round during tough crunch time minutes. I think the health of the 76ers could be the deciding factor in this series. I didn’t think Boston would get past the Bucks but they were able to rally and pull it off. Unfortunately, I think their run ends here. I predict the 76ers take this series in 6 games.

Cover photo credits: By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA - Philadelphia 76ers players (2018), CC BY-SA 2.0

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