2018 NBA Playoffs: Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers preview

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2. Can Philly keep up its 3-point shooting?

During its first round matchup with the Heat, Philadelphia made an average of 11.4 3-pointers over the five games, led J.J. Redick, who had 13 total. After adding Ilyasova and Belinelli in February, the 76ers can trot out a lineup with four dead-eye shooters surrounding Simmons.

Without anything even remotely resembling an outside shot, the Aussie needs all the space he can get on the court to bully his way to the basket, and with his passing ability, he’s able to find the open shooter should a double-team come his way.

With the snipers that Philly has combined with Simmons’ penetration and passing, Philly can balloon a lead in a matter of minutes.

The Celtics and their switch-heavy defense are arguably best-equipped to slow down a 3-point barrage, as they ranked No. 1 during the regular season in opponent 3-point percentage.

As the games slow down in the playoffs, the 76ers need all the points they can get.

If their shooters can continue to know down shots at the rate they did against the Heat, Philly can blow out the Celtics with relative ease, as the added points combined with the space given to Simmons will be too much to overcome for a Boston team that can struggle at times on the offensive end.