Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from Game 1 vs. 76ers

1. Stop overlooking this team

It’s been driven so far into the ground we must be getting close to China at this point, but until the Boston Celtics stop driving it home, we have to keep repeating it: Doubt this shorthanded, well-coached team at your own peril.

The 7-seeded Bucks were able to force a Game 7 in the first round, true enough, but for whatever reason, this plucky group of unlikely individuals is unstoppable at home. They’re basically the heart and likability of the Avengers mixed with the unbridled power of Thanos at home, and the TD Garden is their Infinity Gauntlet.

Coach of the Year is a regular season award, but anyone who didn’t vote for Brad Stevens should be watching this playoff series with regret. How many other coaches can extract more points from Terry Rozier, Al Horford and a 20-year-old rookie than the Celtics ever got in a single game from the Boston Three Party?

Rozier and the Celtics probably aren’t going to wallop the Sixers from downtown like that again, but the coverages they showed Ben Simmons played a huge role in limiting the likely Rookie of the Year to six assists compared to seven turnovers.

He may have added 18 points and seven rebounds as well, but for the first time all postseason, Simmons looked uncomfortable. Similarly, Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova — two certifiable bench snipers in the first round — were held to a combined 5-of-18 shooting from the floor.

A major part of that boils down to defensive strategy and coaching.

Throw in the fact that Boston lost Jaylen Brown — a guy who averaged 17.9 points per game in the first round — and still managed to put up 117 points in Game 1 against the league’s third-ranked defense, and it’s safe to say everyone should be on notice. This team is for real.

The Sixers could easily snap out of their funk in Game 2. They could steal back home-court advantage, take care of business at home and have a chance at another gentleman’s sweep by Game 5.

But given what we’ve seen from this bunch over 90 games now, the fact that Stevens is coaching Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Aron Baynes to victories in the second round of the playoffs shouldn’t be surprising anymore.

Next: Full two-round 2018 NBA Mock Draft

The home-court advantage in Boston is clearly a factor for this young group, but seeing as how the Celtics have it once again for this second round series, it might be time to start taking their playoff aspirations seriously.