Boston Celtics: 3 keys to victory against the Philadelphia 76ers

1. Stay strong inside the paint

As well as having one of the best offenses in the league, the Celtics are blessed with great defensive players. Marcus Smart leads things on the perimeter, but Boston will need other guys to step up to the challenge of facing Joel Embiid in the paint.

Tatum, Brown, and Hayward are all good defenders, but the Celtics’ big men are going to have to make strides to limit Embiid and the rest of the Sixers as they try to get to the rim.

In the bubble, 64.4 percent of Philadelphia’s field goal attempts have come from 2-point range, which ranks fourth amongst all teams in Orlando. Down low is where the Sixers are going to have the advantage on the offensive end, and that’ll be the main cause for concern for the Celtics.

Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter are the centers that are going to have the share of the minutes, with Robert Williams III potentially getting some time on the floor as well. This group will have Embiid to think about first and foremost as his size and strength can’t be matched by the Celtics’ main players.

Smart won’t care about the size difference and will definitely fancy his chances going against Embiid on the defensive end, and why wouldn’t he? He’s one of the truly elite defenders in the game. However, he’ll be needed to shut down Philly’s 3-point threats.

Strong interior defense will be vital for the Celtics and that will begin with Theis in the starting lineup. He’ll need strong starts in this series to hold off Embiid’s threat to avoid making this series any harder than it has to be for Boston.