The Boston Celtics are heavy favorites against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs among ESPN analysts.
Unanimously so, in fact.
All 17 analysts picked the Celtics to come out on top, with 10 of the 17 calling it in six games, and seven bold souls going for a gentleman’s sweep.
Despite the fact that the big and long starters giving Boston a heap of trouble on both ends in three of the Celtics four meetings this season, the loss of starting point forward Ben Simmons is being viewed as a major blow to the 76ers, especially on the defensive end.
CLAB 13: Talking the 76ers-Celtics 1st-round matchup with Anna Horford https://t.co/J1sjXvT2zR
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 15, 2020
With so many potential options to choose from offensively, Philadelphia simply doesn’t have the horses to keep up in response.
While center Joel Embiid can be an outstanding defender when he buys in, and rookie Matisse Thybulle proving a worthy over for perennial Philly problem Kemba Walker, throwing wings Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward into the mix with a newly-accurate Marcus Smart likely means death by a thousand cuts for the 76ers in the first round.
With the first round set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET this Monday, we won’t have long to wait to see just how accurate these predictions are.
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