After taking down the Milwaukee Bucks in game seven on Saturday at TD Garden, the Boston Celtics will stay at home to begin a semifinal round matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers Monday night.
Boston took three of the four regular season games between the two teams. The Celtics were 1-1 versus the 76ers at home, and 2-0 at Philadelphia. Al Horford is leading the way in the playoffs for Boston, averaging 18.1 points per game, also adding 8.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per contest. Jaylen Brown adds a 17.9 point average, with 4.7 rebounds. Terry Rozier is averaging 17.6 PPG, and 4.3 RPG. Jayson Tatum is at 15.4 PPG, while Marcus Morris adds 13.3 PPG.
Philadelphia has had some time off since defeating the Miami Heat in five games in the first round. JJ Reddick had a hot shooting series against the Heat and is averaging 20 points per game. Joel Embid is leading the Sixers inside game with 18.7 PPG, and 10.3 RPG. Rookie Ben Simmons is at 18.2 PPG, with 9.0 RPG. Dario Saric and Marco Belinelli both have averaged 16.6 PPG in the five playoff games. The 76ers haven’t played a game since last Tuesday.
The Celtics could use the 76ers time off as an advantage in game one, as Boston just played Saturday. Ultimately the Celtics will have to continue get some key contributions from players like Rozier and Marcus Smart if it hopes to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The 76ers have a few more weapons than what the Celtics faced versus the Bucks, and will give Boston alot of problems.
Below is the schedule for the seven game series along with the predictions from the Eastern Maine Sports staff.
Schedule:
Game 1 at Boston 4/30 8 pm
Game 2 at Boston 5/3 830 pm
Game 3 at Philly 5/5 5 pm
Game 4 at Philly 5/7 6 pm
Game 5 at Boston 5/9 TBD (if necessary)
Game 6 at Philly 5/11 TBD (if necessary)
Game 7 at Boston 5/13 TBD (if necessary)
Predictions:
Marc Calnan, Anthony Delmonaco- Sixers in 6
Jeff Hoak- Celtics in 6
Cassidy Lessner- Â Celtics in 7
Chris Lessner- Sixers in 7
