The seventh seed Philadelphia 76ers face off against the second seeded Boston Celtics.
Philly came off a win against the Orlando Magic at home in the play-in game 109-97. Tyrese Maxey led the way with 31 points and V.J. Edgecombe had a double-double with 19 points along with 11 rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. had a good game as well with 19 points. Desmond Bane led the way for the Magic with 34 points that game.
This matchup is one of the storied rivalries in NBA history. They played 116 games in the playoffs and now including their 23rd playoff matchup taking place this Sunday. The rivalry has had names such as Wilt Chamberlain vs Bill Russell, Larry Bird vs Julius Erving, and Paul Pierce vs Allen Iverson. Boston has won its past six matchups against Philly in the playoffs. Recently the Celtics won in seven games in 2023.
The Celtics this year have been at the top of the conference all season long. Jaylen Brown had a career year this season with averages of 28.7 points-per-game, 6.9 rebounds-per-game, and 5.1 assists-per-game. Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta have been key contributors as well. Baylor Scheiermann and Hugo Gonzalez had their roles expanded this season which added depth to their roster. Jayson Tatum has returned this season after an achilles injury this season looking to make it out of the East and win it all.
This season, Philadelphia has been scratching and clawing their way in the playoff picture. Tyrese Maxey has had a career year this season with averages of 28.3 points-per-game, 4.1 rebounds-per-game, and 6.6 assists-per-game. V.J. Edgecombe has had a very impressive rookie year. Paul George and Joel Embiid have had their injuries this season but when they are healthy they add another layer to this team.
Embiid will miss a couple of games in the series if not all with the appendectomy injury. For the 76ers to make this a series and a possible upset everyone has to step up. Edgecombe will have his first taste of the playoffs. Kelly Oubre Jr., Dominick Barlow, and Quentin Grimes will need to be consistent role players on the squad. A role player can always get you a game. For the Celtics, it is what will Jayson Tatum look like in a playoff matchup? Will the younger players be ready for the moment ? The Celtics have players on their roster with experience too.
Boston looks to make a deep playoff run this season and the 76ers look to make an upset. Game one is this Sunday at 1 p.m. in TD Garden adding another chapter in this historic rivalry.
