Philadelphia 76ers: 5 keys to series vs. Celtics

Having earned some much-needed rest, here are five keys for the Philadelphia 76ers in their second-round series against the Boston Celtics.

Following a highly publicized first-round defeat of the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers can now look forward to taking on their next opponent, the Boston Celtics.

Considering how far they’ve come since the commencement of “The Process” in 2013, the adulation that was afforded the Sixers following their 4-1 defeat of the Heat was understandable.

However, they now need to quickly turn their attention to the Celtics, who took seven games to advance past the Milwaukee Bucks. Although they finished as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 55-27 record, their current makeup doesn’t resemble the team that started the season with a 16-2 record.

The Celtics will be without All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who is out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury. Also, former All-Star Gordon Hayward will not play in the series following his horrific leg injury sustained in the opening game of the season.

Having said all this, the Celtics are clearly a team and franchise not too underestimate. Their head coach, Brad Stevens, is at the top of the pile as it pertains to Coach of the Year honors, and the discipline and adherence to their overall game plan has ensured the team has succeeded despite the absence of its two best players.

With a genuinely exciting series on the horizon, here are five keys for the Sixers in this upcoming series.