Can the 76ers Really Match the Boston Celtics in a 7-Game Series?
Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum, right, goes up for a shot against Philadelphia 76ers' Quentin Grimes during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Once again, a familiar team meets the Philadelphia 76ers in the postseason: the Boston Celtics. And it’s yet another challenge for the Sixers returning to the postseason after a one-season absence. Philadelphia gets another crack after surviving the play-in with the win over the Orlando Magic, but this series comes down to whether the Sixers can keep the ball rolling against a team they’ve faced many times in previous postseasons.
That’s one of the main challenges the Sixers will face. Boston finished 56-26, owns home-court advantage, and enters as a more complete team, even with their superstar Jayson Tatum missing a chunk of the season due to an injury. There have been plenty of times when the Sixers have played the Celtics, and out of nowhere, Boston changes the course of the game in an instant.
But the Sixers have enough to make the series interesting. Last time they faced Boston in the postseason, they sent it all the way to a game seven off the backs of Tyrese Maxey, James Harden, and Joel Embiid. But now it’s just Maxey carrying the torch the rest of the way, but he’s even better than he was. He gives the Sixers the scoring threat they need and can tilt a game when he gets downhill, while playing with pace. Nick Nurse isn’t afraid at all to experiment with lineups to control the pace, which gives them an edge. But you get to know a lot during a seven-game series, and that can expose everything. It shows whether a team has enough creation, flexibility, and composure.
That’s where Boston’s edge becomes obvious. The Celtics are good enough to survive an unpredictable change, while on the other hand, the Sixers can struggle with that problem. They have enough players who can switch on and off depending on who’s on the court and who can make the next read. That kind of versatility is hard to match on an especially weak Sixers bench.
The Sixers will also be without Embiid for at least the early part of the series as well, and the burden on the Sixers gets heavier and heavier. They no longer have the big fella to be there when needed, and he is dominant on both sides of the ball when he’s in the paint. That thins the margin of error even more, and their need for perfect execution becomes greater. Maxey can carry stretches, Paul George can provide his scoring, and the role players can potentially swing a game. But is it possible to do this four times against a team that will keep adjusting?
The Celtics will try to drag the Sixers into uncomfortable possessions, make them defend longer, and get them to generate points without leaning on a dominant force. They can keep fresh bodies on the court without sacrificing balance, and that matters in a seven-game series. It wears on you, and it narrows your options. A lot of the 76ers roster will be playing in the playoffs for the first time, while the Celtics have a roster with plenty of playoff experience.
So for the Sixers, the path to staying competitive means forcing Boston to work hard. They need Maxey to create advantages, they need to limit early fouls and turnovers, and enough scoring from the supporting cast that Boston cannot load up on. They don’t need to outplay the Celtics every night, but they need to avoid long scoring droughts and one-sided stretches in which Boston can put the game out of reach. That is the difference between a team that is dangerous for a night and a team that can survive a series. The Sixers have yet to prove that.
And that is the question for this particular matchup: not whether the Sixers can scare the Celtics, but whether they are ready and can match them over seven games. The Sixers have enough talent to make this feel competitive, but it’s unknown yet whether they have truly enough left in the tank.
The Sixers aren’t just trying to win one game or even two, but they are going out there to show Boston that they aren’t here just for fun. If the Sixers can take this series, they can change the conversation around them. If they cannot, Boston once again becomes Big Brother, and now the team is back at square one.
Andrew Glover
Andrew is in his first year covering sports for Philly Sports Reports. He is a podcaster and a digital content creator. Right now, he is in his second semester at Temple University pursuing a degree in Media Studies and Production. He has a certificate in Broadcast Journalism from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
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