After a long, grueling regular season that started in October, the Boston Celtics are back in the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Gap year, huh? Fifty-six wins later . . .
Oddly enough, their first-round opponent is the same opponent they opened with on Oct. 22: Philadelphia. Hopefully, the 76ers don’t replicate that performance, in which they walked out of TD Garden with a 117-116 win.
Admittedly, I wanted the Celtics to play the Orlando Magic instead of the Sixers — for two reasons.
First: After living in Philadelphia for four years and having friends who are Sixers fans, I know my phone will be ringing after every Sixers’ win. If they find a way to win the series, I won’t hear the end of it.
I guess that’s what the “do-not-disturb” mode is for . . .
Second: We’ve been here before. I know Boston played Orlando last year, but it seems like every other year, the C’s play Philadelphia and I’m, frankly, over it. We play the Sixers four times during the regular season and have to play them (at least) another four times. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have faced Philadelphia in 2018, 2020, and 2023. (Boston won ‘em all.)
Talent-wise, Boston should be the favorite and its history in the postseason will serve well. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about some of the talent Philadelphia possesses.
Its best player — in my opinion — is Tyrese Maxey. He is super athletic and quick, which gives teams a hard time staying in front of him because he’s smaller, has a quick first step, and uses his speed effectively. Maxey averaged 28.3 points and 1.9 steals per game this season.
Luckily, for the Celtics, they sport defenders who have made life hard for the All-Star. Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh are lengthy wings. Maxey, although still effective, had trouble with that length. If the Celtics can keep Maxey from getting to his spots, they should feel good about their chances of advancing. Very good.
For Boston, it’s all about Tatum and Brown. All season, Brown has carried the load physically and emotionally. He has been the leader while Tatum recovered from his injury. Now, in the playoffs, Brown needs to continue to be the player he was all season. The team had a great ramp-up period with Tatum, so he could get comfortable and his teammates could get familiar with him, but this postseason, it has to be Brown’s team.
Tatum has impressed with his playmaking, too. If Boston wants a deep run, it’ll need Tatum to score and facilitate, while Brown continues to be aggressive offensively. My guess is that Brown will cover the top player on opposing teams, also.
As a fan, blood pressure always rises during the playoffs, but I hope Boston can be hot from the floor and ice cold in clutch moments.
Let’s get rid of Philadelphia, like usual, and move on.
