Quote (Sixers @ Aug 14 2020 02:47pm)

Won't be around to clamp Tatum up, but on the other end the Sixers will actually have the spacing they've long desired. The offense will look a bit more "natural" while the defense will take a huge hit.

One of the Celtics 89 wings will go off for sure.

Quote (Sixers @ Aug 14 2020 02:47pm)

Won't be around to clamp Tatum up, but on the other end the Sixers will actually have the spacing they've long desired. The offense will look a bit more "natural" while the defense will take a huge hit.

One of the Celtics 89 wings will go off for sure.

Quote (ZxFamily-GuyxZ @ Aug 14 2020 02:46pm)

I wish Simmons was playing

Quote (ZxFamily-GuyxZ @ Aug 14 2020 02:53pm)

Fucking injuries.....

Embiid should dominate. No question...
However, there is a lot of pressure on Tobias and Jrich to be able to put the ball on the floor and create at times when they can't get Embiid the ball.
Celtics are going to be picking up half and full court a lot. 2-2-1. Obviously in stretches but they need to make sure the 76ers do not get into their offense early so that Embiid cannot get good positioning.

I just think it's going to be too hard for the 76ers to contain all the wings w/o Simmons. Somebody is going to go off.

I'm thinking 4-2

Quote (ShampooMonK @ Aug 14 2020 02:54pm)

I personally don't give a shit if Embiid scores 50 or even 60.

He's a great player no doubt, but if we just make him work for his points, double teams, and exerting energy on defense, he'll get tired out. His conditioning has been better, but still suspect.

I have 4-1, I would've said 4-3 with Simmons, but we'll see what happens.

Quote (ZxFamily-GuyxZ @ Aug 14 2020 02:53pm)

Fucking injuries.....

Embiid should dominate. No question...
However, there is a lot of pressure on Tobias and Jrich to be able to put the ball on the floor and create at times when they can't get Embiid the ball.
Celtics are going to be picking up half and full court a lot. 2-2-1. Obviously in stretches but they need to make sure the 76ers do not get into their offense early so that Embiid cannot get good positioning.

I just think it's going to be too hard for the 76ers to contain all the wings w/o Simmons. Somebody is going to go off.

I'm thinking 4-2

Quote (ShampooMonK @ Aug 14 2020 02:54pm)

I personally don't give a shit if Embiid scores 50 or even 60.

He's a great player no doubt, but if we just make him work for his points, double teams, and exerting energy on defense, he'll get tired out. His conditioning has been better, but still suspect.

I have 4-1, I would've said 4-3 with Simmons, but we'll see what happens.

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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.

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Kemba Walker asked about Josh Richardson's defense: "I can't escape Josh. I can't escape Josh, man."

Richardson covered Walker in his past playoff series against Miami. Richardson's defense has been a mess in the bubble, but when he is locked in, he's the ultimate matchup for KW.

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This is a crazy stat. Boston enters with a 13-8 all-time advantage and has not lost a series to Philly since 1982.