Celtics-76ers First Look – What Could Decline the Battle of Eastern Conference heavyweights

Since Boston Celtics And Philadelphia 76ers opening the NBA season 2022-23The two opponents seem destined to meet in the knockout round.

We are here.

After the Celtics sent out pesky Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 on Thursday night — and 11 days after the 76ers wiped out brooklyn network — they’ll go head-to-head in a real clash of titans in the Eastern Conference semifinals starting Monday night inside Boston’s TD Garden.

Game 1 will be their fifth meeting, with Boston winning the season series series 3-1. (Average win margin is just 5.25 points.) Philly’s only win, however, was a 52-point performance, 13 rebounds from Joel Embiid.

This will be the 22nd time the Celtics and 76ers have played each other in a playoff series, the most between the two teams in NBA post-season history. And as the two teams prepare for one of the most anticipated series these knockouts, here’s what can determine who makes it to the congress final, including the health of the MVP favorite, big Celtics squad decisions and the importance of those protect the Sixers.

Joel Embiid’s Health

Embiid left Game 3 in the Philadelphia sweep of the Nets after an awkward fall trying to challenge Cameron Johnson’s shot forward from the Nets.

Embiid suffers a LCL sprain in right knee during the game, an injury caused him to miss Game 4 against Brooklyn – later 76ers coach Doc Rivers said Embiid “probably 50%, at best” to play in Game 1 against Boston.

The 76ers are actively cheering for Atlanta to extend the series against Boston to six games to give Embiid a few more days of rest by pushing back the start of this series to Monday. So there was little doubt lots of cheers in Philadelphia when Young Tea led the Hawks to a dramatic win from behind in Game 5.

Now, it’s going to be a race to get the superstar center healthy — one where he now has a few more days to run before it’s over. And, of course, it remains to be seen how effective Embiid will be, or whether this is another unfortunate injury in a career well-timed playoff that has seen a few of them. or not.

Earlier this month, Boston witnessed first-hand what a healthy Embiid can do. He scored 52 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists in the April 4 win, scoring more than half of Philadelphia’s score. In that win, Embiid became the second player in NBA history to score 50 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 80% shots in a game. Withered Chamberlainwho did it twice.

In four games against Brooklyn, Harden shot only 9 to 34 on 2-point shots. Removed his 5 to 8 performance in Game 3 before he was eliminated, and that dropped to a really bad 4 to 26 in Games 1, 2 and 4.

Harden’s numbers are even worse when he’s driving. Harden shot 7 to 30 (23.3%) against the Nets. Among players with at least 25 tries, that’s the worst painted-field goal ratio in a series since each game was first tracked in 1996-97, according to Research Information & ESPN Statistics.

Both Rivers and Harden denied his poor shooting, saying he simply missed shots he would normally hit. But since the Brooklyn is a smaller version of the long, athletic, convertible defence Boston uses, Harden’s struggles could become a significant concern.

During the regular season, the Celtics passed the ball 73 times when Harden was the ball handler for a ball screen, most of the time they played against a player, tracking Second Spectrum. Harden really excelled in these plays, averaging 1.17 points per chance. (Celts allow 0.95 points per chance when switching to a ball screen during the regular season, the league is ranked in the top 10.)

Boston’s 3s

The easiest way to know how a Celtics game this season is going is to look at their three-point figure.

When the Celtics hit at least 40% of their 3, their record is 34-2 in both the regular season and the knockout stages. When they were below that mark, the score was 27-24.

With Boston averaging 10 more 3-pointers than Philadelphia in the regular season, the Celtics likely already have a point advantage in this series. So if Boston can have some hot nights, it’s going to be an uphill battle against Philadelphia.

Will Boston tilt big or small?

The Celtics have one of the deepest teams in the league, which gives coach Joe Mazzulla different ways of deploying forces. And going into this series, there’s no bigger question as to whether Boston will play bigger or smaller against Philadelphia and the mountain in the middle of it being Embiid.

Smart Marcus, Brown Jaylen, Jayson Tatum And Al-Horford locked at the start of the game against Philadelphia. But will Mazzulla join another big man? Robert William III — as Boston did best last year — or a fraction of the White Derrick — that’s how the Celtics play against Atlanta.

The two big boys on the field can help curb Embiid, but Williams prioritizing defense will allow Embiid to rest on defense. Playing smaller with White can force Embiid to move more, even if it makes it harder for the Celtics to defend Embiid. Which way Mazzulla goes, and how Philadelphia adjusts, will be closely watched.

Can Maxey fight Boston?

In its third season, Tyrese Maxey has proven to be one of the most explosive young goal-scoring defenders in the NBA.

However, the Celtics are his Kryptonite.

Maxey combined is 17 to 48 in four encounters against Boston this season, including 9 to 32 in the last three. The Celtics have long, long-range defenders to attack Maxey, including Smart, White and Brown, and can knock him down in defence.

The Celtics have limited Maxey to nine forward shots – he has taken four – in the team’s usual four games of the season. Maxey, among players with at least 100 such attempts, ranks in the top 10 for effective goal-scoring rates during this season’s transition, per Second Spectrum.

Matt Williams of ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this story.