The Philadelphia 76ers are officially done with the regular season and they are now moving on to the playoffs to take on the Boston Celtics. The two storied franchises are facing off in the playoffs since the Celtics took care of business in five games over the Sixers in 2018.
This version of the Celtics doesn’t have Al Horford. He is obviously on the Sixers now, but that experience with Boston taught him that Jayson Tatum is a prolific scorer and he has stepped up his game to another level this season.
“He’s taken a huge leap with his game from where he was two years ago, even last year, to now,” said Horford. “He’s in talks with the best guys in the league right now. It’s been impressive to see his growth and how he continued to just get better. He’s going to be a super tough cover for us and we’re going to have to find ways to contain him. He’s been growing quickly. I haven’t many young guys grow as quickly as he has.”
Tatum is averaging 23.4 points and 7.0 rebounds on the season and the Celtics also possess other top scorers. Jaylen Brown is averaging 20.3 points and Kemba Walker added 20.4 points while Gordon Hayward pours in 17.5 points a night. The Sixers will have their work cut out for them in this first series.
“Firepower. They have so much firepower,” said coach Brett Brown. “They really can score. They have four players that can get 30 on a given night. They play well together and Brad (Stevens) does a great job. I feel like their ability to put points on the board, their ability to make threes, their ability to create their own shots is just lethal. Our ability to defend those things will ultimately tell the story.”
The Sixers did take three of the four matchups in the regular season with the Celtics, but in the playoffs, all of that goes out the window and Philadelphia also does not have Ben Simmons. Still, Brown feels that the team has enough to combat the Celtics wing players.
“I feel that we have the defensive capability to get stuff down, but when you say ‘tell me one thing’, although I didn’t go to a single person, I did say they really have the ability to score,” he finished with.
It’s now time for the Sixers to prove themselves on a bigger level. Game 1 with the Celtics is set for Monday inside the bubble. [lawrence-related id=36812,36809,36806]