SI reviewing the matchups
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It’s a true shame Ben Simmons will miss the rest of the postseason, especially considering this round one matchup. But this series still brings plenty of intrigue, largely due to the stylistic disparity on display.
These two teams are effectively Bizarro World versions of one another, creating a serious headache for both Brett Brown and Brad Stevens. The Celtics are a fine-tuned machine, often sporting five playmakers and a healthy supply of outside shooting. Philadelphia relies on brute force, either feeding Joel Embiid or using Simmons to punish teams in transition. The Sixers have been a maddening team all season, and things weren’t exactly smooth before Simmons’ injury. But their sheer size and athleticism made for a fearsome round one opponent. A first-round exit for Boston wasn’t entirely out of the question.
Can Philadelphia steal a series without its star point guard? There’s little evidence it can be done, but there is a blueprint. Philadelphia will continue to play bully ball, and Al Horford’s performance will be critical. If Horford is near his Boston form, the Sixers have a twin towers that can expose Boston. We haven’t seen that version of Horford for much of 2019-20. Don’t count on a sudden resurgence in round one.
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Ben Simmons is highly likely to miss at least the first round (if not all) of the playoffs after undergoing surgery to remove a loose body from his left knee. The Sixers have had a wild three seasons, bursting into the playoffs in 2018, remaking the roster and losing on a walkoff in 2019, then remaking the roster again before an up-and-down 2020 campaign. I’m genuinely starting to wonder if this team is simply cursed, and while people will certainly go down this road, I don’t know how the postseason can serve as a referendum on the Simmons-Joel Embiid partnership if one of them isn’t playing.
With Simmons out, the spotlight will obviously be on Embiid, and he’s in a weirdly unique position to have a big series against Boston. I wouldn’t pick the Sixers to win, but this matchup could be close. The Celtics are great, and maybe even underrated in the championship contender convo. But if they have one weakness, it’s at center, and in this series, Embiid will have no excuse to be hanging around the perimeter. He should be operating only out of the block against Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter, and the opportunity is there for him to post (er, no pun intended) giant numbers.
If Embiid says part of the reason he floats to the three-point line is to give Simmons space, that reason is gone. Embiid averaged 3.4 threes per game this season—that number should honestly go to zero against Boston. All those shots should be going toward post-ups instead. Unsurprisingly, Embiid was one of the most efficient post players in the NBA, averaging 9.8 post-ups per game and shooting 53.1% out of those plays—fourth among players attempting at least two field goals a night from the post. I see no reason why he shouldn’t be on the block at least 15 times a game if not more against Boston.
Al Horford will probably slide back into the starting lineup, by the way, and that’s not necessarily an issue for Embiid. In 174 minutes this season the Embiid-Horford duo played without Simmons, they posted a respectable 3.1 net rating, with slippage more so coming on the defensive as opposed to the offensive end. Philly’s shooters will have to be prepared when the doubles come on Embiid, but if he’s living on the block, the Sixers should be able to generate good shots one way or another.
This post was edited by Sixers on Aug 14 2020 01:13pm