Tag: 2023 nba playoffs second round

The key to the Boston Celtics’ success this season according to PJ Tucker? Sharing the ball

“They’re in attack mode at all times,” said Tucker.

You might not have believed your ears to hear what Philadelphia 76ers forward PJ Tucker said about what makes the Boston Celtics so hard to guard as recently as the start of last season given earlier incarnations of the team being so bad at ball movement as to register in the bottom five of the entire NBA in assists.

“Because they (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown) don’t mind sharing the ball,” explained Tucker of a team that is now the No. 7 team in the league at moving the rock “They move the ball really well no matter who it is. They hit the open guy and they (are) always attacking.”

“They’re in attack mode at all times,” he emphasized.

“So on close-outs, trying to close out, to touch to make sure they don’t pull up for a shot and still controlling the drive,” Tucker continued. “It’s really it’s easier said than done, but they do a good job of moving the ball and playing together.”

Boston will need to continue that style of play regardless of whether star Sixers big man Joel Embiid is available to play or not, however, with the Celtics’ bad habit of not taking opponents they believe they can beat seriously enough.

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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Can the Boston Celtics take anything from the Atlanta Hawks series?

Can Boston take something away from it and use what they’ve learned against the 76ers?

After fighting tooth and nail to get the necessary final win in their Eastern Conference Playoffs first-round series, the Boston Celtics took down the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 on the road at State Farm Arena to move onto the second round. While the Hawks may have been a lower seed due to a disappointing regular season, they still found many ways to put pressure on the Celtics.

Can there be some good things to learn from in this series from Atlanta that the team can apply to future series? Can Boston take something away from it and use what they’ve learned against the 76ers? Will history repeat itself for these two rivals?

Join the CLNS Media “Vitamin Cs” podcast hosts Tim Sheils and Wayne “Breezie” Brown as they discuss the Celtics – Hawks finale and the upcoming second-round matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.

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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Joel Embiid knee re-evaluation hints at Game 1 absence vs. Boston Celtics in ECSF

The Celtics would be heavily favored in any series without Embiid, and in any games without him in a series they are already slightly favored to advance from.

It is increasingly looking like Philadelphia 76ers star big man Joel Embiid will not be playing in Game 1 of the Sixers’ 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals series with the Boston Celtics as he continues to nurse a sprained ankle back to health.

Embiid was set to be re-evaluated on Thursday, and the Sixers organization has understandably been reticent to share much information regarding the Cameroonian center’s health status to maintain as much of a competitive advantage as possible. But on Saturday, 76ers head coach Doc Rivers let it slip that Embiid is unlikely to take the court in Game 1 according to Philly Voice’s Kyle Neubeck.

“Doctors looked at him and he didn’t do anything today,” related Rivers, referring ot the team’s practice session and Embiid’s lack of participation in it.

“I’ll say this, if I was a betting man I would say doubtful for at least Game 1, but we’ll see,” he added.

The Celtics would be heavily favored in any series without Embiid, and in any games without him in a series they are already slightly favored to advance from. However, it may be possible for the MVP candidate to play in a brace of his condition improves enough to get greenlight by doctors.

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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Is the path to the 2023 NBA Finals opening for the Boston Celtics?

Should the Celtics be favored to come out of the East from here on out, or should we be wary of the team getting out of its own way?

Is the path to the 2023 NBA Finals opening for the Boston Celtics? Having dispatched a feisty Atlanta Hawks ball club in the first round of the 2023 Eastern Conference playoffs, the Celtics now face the Philadelphia 76ers who have an injured Joel Embiid leading them.

Should they get past the Sixers, they will face either the New York Knicks or Miami Heat — both very capable opponents with the right focus — after the elimination of both the Cleveland Cavaliers and (surprisingly) the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Should the Celtics be favored to come out of the East from here on out, or should we be wary of the team getting out of its own way?

The hosts of a recent “Locked On NBA” podcast dived into this conundrum as they surveyed the East postseason.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

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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Full Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers Eastern Conference semifinals schedule released

Game 1 tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET on May 1.

The second-seeded Boston Celtics finally ousted the Atlanta Hawks, 4-2, in their first-round series of the 2023 NBA Eastern Conference playoffs. By doing so, they secured the right to face the third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the East semifinals.

They will likely face an MVP candidate recuperating from a sprained knee, Joel Embiid, in one of the tougher projected series left yet unstarted in the 2023 NBA playoffs. We also know the dates, times and broadcasters of each of the four contests guaranteed to happen in the best-of-seven series. The Celtics will have homecourt advantage.

So, let’s take a look at the schedule for the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinal between the Celtics and the Sixers.

Will Boston’s Grant Williams play more after Game 6 performance?

Once a staple piece of the Celtics’ rotation, Williams had for some reason fallen out of favor and not gotten as much run as last season, especially in games that warranted it.

During the Boston Celtics‘ 128-120 series-clinching win over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night, there was one massive bright spot late in the game that swung momentum toward Boston: Grant Williams. Once a staple piece of the Celtics’ rotation, Williams had for some reason fallen out of favor and not gotten as much run as last season, especially in games that warranted it. In Game 5 as the Celtics were trying to stay in it, coach Joe Mazzulla turned to veteran big man Blake Griffin over Grant, which is puzzling.

However, on Thursday, the Celtics turned to their tweener forward, who racked up 17 minutes and gave some crucial energy and defense to a team desperately trying to put the game to bed.

Host of the CLNS Media “Garden Report” Bobby Manning calls for more Grant Williams minutes.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear his argument.

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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Celtics Lab 185: Boston (finally!) advances to face Philly; what we need to know with Ky Carlin

Will Embiid be ready? And for that matter, will a Celtics team that struggled against Atlanta be prepared for a steep step up in competition?

The Boston Celtics did their job and put away the Atlanta Hawks on the road in Game 6 to advance to the 2023 Eastern Conference Playoffs’ second round on Thursday night. Now, they will face the Philadelphia 76ers as Philly tries to get injured MVP candidate Joel Embiid ready in time for Game 1, set to tip off on Monday, May 1.

Will Embiid be ready? And for that matter, will a Celtics ball club that struggled against the Atlanta Hawks at times be prepared for a steep step up in competition? How will the Sixers face their own spike in the quality of their opponent from one round to the next after dispatching the Brooklyn Nets in just four games?

On this episode of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast, your usual hosts link up with Sixers Wire general editor Ky Carlin to get up to speed on all things 76ers, as well as a quick look back at the Hawks series and some news catch up as Celtics alumni abroad are getting into trouble on the court.

Celtics Lab is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help.

(Apologies for the echo, a minor microphone mishap occurred).

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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Celtics Lab 184: A look around and ahead in the playoffs, and some Game 5 grumbles

After an embarrassing Game 5 loss, we elected to focus more on the postseason ahead (we hope) for Boston.

The Boston Celtics told us they were not messing around this time, and like Lucy and her football in “Peanuts,” we fell for it once again. The Celtics mailed in their Game 5 performance against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.

While we’d be remiss to avoid it altogether, on the latest episode of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast, we elected to focus more on the postseason ahead (we hope) for Boston.

While we certainly say our piece on what went wrong in Game 5, we’re more concerned about the games ahead of the Celtics in the remaining tilts of their series with Atlanta, a potential second-round collision with the Philadelphia 76ers, and how injuries and unexpected twists are reshaping the narrative of the 2023 NBA postseason before our very eyes.

Is the path to the finals really opening for Boston, or is it exactly the sort of scenario that tends to bring out the worst in the Celtics? Who will end up in the conference finals? And how is the West’s postseason playing out?

We also get into things much bigger than basketball, from accountability and second chances in the NBA to honoring those who’ve shared the best of themselves with us along the way.

The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help.

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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Celtics could face an Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers to start second round if they advance

Depending on how his midweek knee sprain re-evaluation goes, the MVP candidate could miss a game or two of his second-round series.

If the Boston Celtics advance from their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks as they are likely to do with a 3-1 lead, they could find themselves facing a Philadelphia 76ers team without its best player available to start the series.

MVP candidate big man Joel Embiid has been out with a sprained knee, and if he doesn’t heal quickly, he could miss a game or two, per reporting from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.

“He has a sprained LCL in his right knee,” explained Shelburne on a recent episode of “NBA Today.” “That’s the lateral collateral ligament. When he first went down with this injury, the sense is that it was going to be one, maybe two weeks depending on how he feels.”

“Now, he’s going to be re-evaluated in the middle of this week, but the injury happened on April 20th and the second round starts April 29th,” suggested Shelburne. “That’s right in that window where he could come back in time.”

“It’ll depend on what happens in his evaluation this week in the middle of the week,” she added. “I’m told he’s doing better — he’s moving around better, the swelling subsided, but when he gets in there with the doctors and they see how he feels, you’re not going to push it with something like that.”

Even if Embiid is able to get back on the court sooner than later, he will likely have that brace and the business of getting back into the flow of postseason basketball with it — no easy task, even for an MVP candidate.

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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Could Joel Embiid be out injured at the start of the next round?

It would not be an auspicious start if the Celtics advance.

Injuries — as they almost always do — are leaving their mark on the 2023 NBA playoffs, and the Eastern Conference postseason is no exception. The Milwaukee Bucks are dealing with a back injury to star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Perhaps worse for the Philadelphia 76ers, star big man Joel Embiid is staring at the possibility of starting a series against the Boston Celtics injured.

Dealing with a sprained knee, Embiid could need to miss time even if it is a light sprain. With the Sixers sweeping the Brooklyn Nets, they get a bit of rest before the Celtics likely dispatch the Atlanta Hawks.

Will the Philadelphia star have enough time to recover before the next round starts? Or could he be on the bench for Game 1 of the second round?

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Garden Report” podcast recently got together to talk it over, as well as to preview Game 4 of the Boston-Atlanta series.

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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