Celtics-76ers playoff predictions: Will Boston handle Philly in the postseason -- again?
BOSTON -- The championship hopes for the city of Boston now rest solely on the shoulders of the Celtics. With the Bruins out of the picture following a stunning first-round exit, it's up to their roommates at TD Garden to host a duck boat parade later this summer.
The Celtics have a lot of work to do, with their quest for Banner 18 continuing Monday night when their second-round series with the Philadelphia 76ers tips off in Boston. The Boston-Philly rivalry is a prominent one in NBA history, with the two teams matching up 14 times in the playoffs going back to 1965. The Celtics have won 10 of those matchups, including the last five.
The Celtics took three of the four regular season meetings between the two teams this season, and the Tatum-Brown-Smart core has won two playoff series over Philly over the last five years. The Celtics swept the last meeting in the 2020 NBA bubble in Orlando.
But as we were reminded Sunday night, regular season success means very little when these playoff series tip off. And even if Joel Embiid hobbled by a knee injury, this is not going to be a walk in the park for the Celtics.
After the Hawks took the Celtics to six games in the opening round, thanks mostly to Boston's inability to stomp them out when they had the opportunity, the 76ers are going to pose a much bigger challenge. Will the Celtics be up to it? The WBZ-TV and WBZ.com sports team makes their predictions!
Steve Burton, WBZ-TV
The Celtics could have a tougher time with the 76ers than they did with the Hawks. This series may go seven games.
But the Celtics still win, because they always seem to beat Philly these days.
Celtics in 7
Dan Roche, WBZ-TV
The Celtics overcame a lot of hurdles in that first round series against the Hawks. They let their collective foot off the gas in Game 5 and learned a lesson. Last year -- or in years past -- that Atlanta series would have gone seven games. But the C's finished the job in Game 6 and moved on.
Now they have to take care of business against the 76ers. Philadelphia is a good team with the potential to be a great team with a healthy Joel Embiid. This 76ers team could give the Celtics a real good battle. James Harden has a lot to prove after several years of not getting the job done in the playoffs.
Celtics in 5
Michael Hurley, WBZ.com
I'm getting bad vibes from the Joel Embiid injury news, and I think the series is as simple as that. The lone time the Sixers beat the Celtics this year, it required a 50-point output from Embiid. If he can't play or is severely limited by what seems like a problematic knee injury, then the series won't be competitive.
Even with Embiid, Boston is kind of Philly's bugaboo. Take him away, and this feels like a borderline bye for the Celtics.
Celtics in 5
Matthew Geagan, WBZ.com
The Celtics seemed bored and unfocused at times against the Hawks. They can't afford to have that approach against the 76ers, even if Embiid isn't at 100 percent. Life will be easier if they don't have to worry about Embiid, but they can't expect to just show up and win because the big man is out or limited.
The 76ers are known for losing to Boston in the playoffs, and the C's can't give them any hope. They can't let them steal any games in Boston, and the Celtics need to stop blowing second-half leads. Don't let the series become a giant Flop-Off, either.
If the Celtics just play their game they should win this series, and do so convincingly. But if they let the 76ers feel any sort of confidence, it's going to bite them a lot harder than it did against the Hawks.
Celtics in 6
