The NBA is back: Here’s what we are dying to see in the bubble
More Celtics-76ers match-ups, please!
For whatever strange reason, whenever I think of the Eastern Conference playoffs, I hit an uncharacteristic mental roadblock. I do not gravitate to LeBron’s eight-year run of supremacy, or to the Toronto Raptors finally crossing the threshold, or to Giannis’ future of hopeful dominance (more on that later). Instead, I think of the two teams within the NBA that probably dislike each other the most:
The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Since Philadelphia’s resurgence with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid co-captaining their helm, the Celtics and the 76ers have waged a continuous war, creating a very contentious rivalry. Though the teams have only recently squared off once in the playoffs (2018), the intensity between the two squads never disappoints. There is an enthusiasm for animosity between both teams that is rather uncommon within the current NBA, so Boston and Philadelphia facing off in the bubble—where there are no fans and no crowd noise to drown out the sounds of the players—would make for an extremely entertaining series.
Related Story. NBA Bubble Power Rankings Preview: Looking at week one. light
The way the teams currently sit in the standings, Boston and Philadelphia are already set to square off in the first round. Naturally, these standings are subject to change during the NBA’s conclusive, eight-game seeding schedule, but I certainly hope the C’s and the Sixers stay right where they are. Just like the entire regular season, the storylines in this potential series are endless:
Al Horford against his old team, Kemba Walker’s first real chance at playoff success, the perplexing 76ers as a whole, the over-achieving Celtics as a whole, Brett Brown’s much-maligned coaching style against one of the best coaches in the NBA in Brad Stevens, and the battle of youth that would pit Embiid and Simmons against Jaylen Brown and the rapidly ascending Jayson Tatum.
My head spins as it rattles off all of the juicy subplots. Someone bring me some water, I feel dizzy!
For obvious reasons, a match-up between the Celtics and the 76ers should be on every NBA fan’s playoff wish-list.