Boston Celtics: 5 keys to series vs. 76ers

4.  Defense (combat muscles)

I cannot emphasize this enough: the 76ers are very tall. It’s a problem. The Celtics solved their Giannis Antetokounmpo problem by sticking Semi Ojeleye on him and muscling him out of the paint.

While Giannis’ 25.7 points per game might not resemble a solved problem, I firmly believe that he would have averaged around 35 points had Brad Stevens not put Ojeleye into the starting lineup. For reference, Giannis scored 75 points between Games 1 and 2, and only 62 points throughout Games 3, 4 and 5.

As for this series, brick wall duty has been passed on to Aron Baynes. The Celtics (and the entire NBA) are short on bodies who can deal with Ben Simmons and Embiid in the paint, but Boston might have just enough muscle to keep them in check. If Embiid gets out of the box, though, it’s game over.

Even with Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis out of the lineup, the Celtics held onto the league’s best defensive rating to close out the regular season. Injuries can be discouraging, but the Celtics still have the tools to defend at a high level.