Game 2 is upon us between the 76ers and Celtics, and the first did not go as folks expected it to. With the news of Joel Embiid, now officially league MVP, being out, you’d have thought Boston would win easily.
But Philly came out and, led by 45 from James Harden, got a massive road victory in TD Garden. A raucous crowd that has supported a lot of big wins for the team on the year could not make enough of a difference to take the higher seed to a win.
The 76ers have not made the conference finals in over 22 years, so doing it this year would mark some real history for the franchise. Some tough playoff exits have happened, and it has felt like they are the LA Clippers of the East.
Something always comes up and knocks them out before they can get within four wins of the Finals. But as game 2 comes up and it would appear that Joel Embiid is out again, let’s take a look at the odds.
Betting Odds & Lines
- Spread: Celtics -9.5
- Moneyline: 76ers +390, Celtics -520
- Over/Under: 216.5
76ers Aim for 2-0 Edge
Picking Philly in game 1 is one thing. But believing they can come out and do it again would be very gutsy thinking. Sure, Boston has fallen short in every postseason with their current core. The failure to reach a title up until now has surely been a shock.
But having just come from the NBA Finals a year ago, they learned that they knew how to rebound from early-series defeats. When the league MVP is unable to play, everything shifts. Philly can’t follow the exact same game plan.
The good news is that Paul Reed is an incredible offensive rebounder. He has torn it up in that area in both of his playoff starts against the Nets and Celtics. Tobias Harris has been kept in the loop on offense, something which has been a problem for them in recent years.
Harden is looking like that guy after dropping 45, while Tyrese Maxey is making major plays. The unmovable old man PJ Tucker has been crushing things defensively and as a ball rotator.
They still can’t stop Boston’s best, though.
C’s Try to Tie Series
It’s pretty simple, actually. If Joe Mazzulla can find his perfect lineup to close out the game, Boston will win. Grant Williams being out there at the end of game 1 was certainly a surprise.
It was his errant pass that Tyrese Maxey took to the house inside of 35 seconds left. That play far from lost them the game, but it was a major contributing factor.
Shooting 73% in the first half and losing is pretty wild. Boston just struggled to close the game out. They have to continue to move the ball and make smart plays. Marcus Smart’s lass pass to Tatum went out of bounds, and that’s where they were KO’ed.
Celtics Even Series 1-1
Playing in front of the home fans, this should be a comfortable Celtics victory. The series will be tied 1-1, heading to the city of Brotherly Love.
