The Boston Celtics boast elite offense and depth, presenting a stark challenge for a middling Philadelphia 76ers squad.
When Nick Nurse called the Boston Celtics "really great all season" and "a tremendous challenge," he was not exaggerating.
The Celtics finished the regular season 56-26 and earned the No. 2 seed in the East while Philadelphia finished 45-37 and had to fight through the play-in to reach this point. Boston enters this matchup with more ways to win and far less room for error than the Philadelphia 76ers.
The numbers back that up. Boston posted a 120.8 offensive rating and a 112.7 defensive rating, both of which are among the best in the league. Their offense is elite and features an isolation-heavy attack that slows the game down and features some of the best floor spacing in the sport. Philadelphia, by contrast, finished with a 115.4 offensive rating and a 115.5 defensive rating; this profile tells the story of a middling team rather than a contending one.
Depth is another separator. Boston scored 36.8 points per game off the bench, compared to Philadelphia's 32.4. This gives the Celtics an advantage with their second unit. Players such as Payton Pritchard, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and Nikola Vucevic are all capable players off the bench who can score, space the floor, or play defense. This matters in a playoff series because it reduces the burden on the starters and allows Boston to survive games if Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum aren't having good nights.
Boston backs their talent with a playstyle suited for the playoffs. A recent study by ESPN shows that overall pace has dropped in 27 of the last 28 playoffs, by an average of 2.7 possessions per 48 minutes. That is an issue for teams that rely on pace and transition scoring, but it is a benefit for a team such as Boston, which relies on isolation scoring and surrounds its star players with good shooters.
Philadelphia will not only have to overcome having a less talented roster but will also have to deal with the reality that their best player, who thrives on transition, has to get a lot of his points in a slower half-court setting.
For Philadelphia, this path to keeping this series competitive is narrow. Maxey has to be fantastic, the supporting cast has to be great, and the team has to be dialed in defensively to slow down Boston's efficient iso-heavy attack.
The Celtics have the advantage almost everywhere: offensively, defensively, in roster construction, in depth, and in shooting. Nurse's input wasn't just talking about a decent team; it was talking about a proven championship team that can exploit every flaw the 76ers have.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.