Boston’s first round playoff opponent mix getting tougher with news Joel Embiid will return

Could the Celtics’ first round matchup be more challenging than anyone expected?

The Boston Celtics showed us last week that not only can the Atlanta Hawks beat them despite being out a significant chunk of their best players at State Farm Arena. They showed us that they can do it more than once. Which is not the sort of thing that fans of the Celtics want to think about, given the Hawks could be Boston’s first round opponent pending the results of the league’s 2024 play-in tournament.

The Philadelphia 76ers announced that star big man Joel Embiid will return before the end of the NBA’ 2023-24 regular season, spicing up the potential first round matchup mix even more. In light of blowing a 30-point deficit, then losing to Atlanta again, could the Celtics’ first round matchup be more challenging than anyone expected?

The hosts of the CLNS Media “The Big Three NBA” podcast, A. Sherrod Blakely, Gary Washburn, and Kwani Lunis, took a closer look on a recent episode. Check it out below!

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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