Even with a fully healthy squad, not many would give the Philadelphia 76ers a chance to go deep in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. Now, with Ben Simmons done for the entire postseason, many believe an early exit out of the Disney World bubble is inevitable for the Sixers, especially with a first-round matchup against the surging Boston Celtics.
On paper, this should be a very intriguing series between two very talented squads. However, unlike Boston, the Sixers have been underwhelming for the large part of the 2019-20 season. They haven't played up to the expectation of a supposedly championship-caliber squad. An ill-fitted roster is certainly to blame for this. Likewise, there are concerns whether Philadelphia's two franchise stars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons can actually coexist together on the floor when things really matter.
Boston, meanwhile, has been clicking the entire season and is peaking just in time for the playoffs. The Celtics certainly enter the series as the favorite to advance, and it's highly likely that they will send the Sixers out of the bubble to put an end to their disappointing season.
Nonetheless, anything can happen, especially in an environment like this where home-court advantage is completely out of the picture. It's all going to be pure basketball. In terms of talent, Philadelphia has that to go toe-to-toe with the favored Celtics.
Here are some reasons why the Sixers can shock the Celtics in their upcoming first-round series.
1. The Sixers know who to play through
The Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons fit has been a concerning issue for the Sixers for quite a while now. Simmons' inability and unwillingness to shoot from the perimeter has limited Embiid's space to operate down low. Likewise, this has also forced Embiid to play more from the outside as well, even though he obviously works best near the basket.
The Sixers aren't better without Simmons, but there is a silver lining here. They already know they are going without the former No. 1 overall pick the rest of the way. That means Philadelphia can focus its game plan on Joel Embiid and work their offense through the All-Star big man.
Ideally, Embiid works best surrounded by shooters. Having more floor spacers would give him much more room to operate inside the paint, rather being forced to launch from beyond the arc, where shoots just 33.1 percent. Without Simmons, the Sixers have no choice but to surround their dominant big man with capable shooters from long distance.
Perhaps another a positive the Sixers can draw from losing their All-Star point guard is that they will get a glimpse of how they will look like with Joel Embiid as the clear main man on the team.
2. Who on the Celtics is going to stop Joel Embiid?
Joel Embiid is Philadelphia's biggest advantage over Boston.
The Celtics lost arguably the best Embiid stopper this offseason. Al Horford used to be Boston's best bet against Embiid. Horford did a marvelous job on Embiid in their second-round series in 2018 and in their regular-season matchups until last season. Now, Horford is in Philly, though his fit with his new team hasn't been as ideal as Sixers fans would like.
Nonetheless, Boston doesn't have a capable enough defensive presence to stop the 7-foot Cameroonian from dominating inside the paint. Starting center Daniel Theis is a gamer who's better than many realize, but he's still undersized and will likely get bullied in the paint. Enes Kanter has always been known as someone teams can exploit on defense. Robert Williams showed flashes during the bubble games that he's ready to become a regular rotation player, but inexperience is a factor.
Of course, the Celtics will likely throw different looks at Embiid. They could swarm him with hard doubles and force him to become a playmaker. Nonetheless, Embiid is a very capable passer from the post, averaging 3.0 assists this season. This could create open shots for the Sixers if they move the ball enough to find an open man, and they'll have to knock down shots from the outside.
3. Al Horford could become a key factor against his former team
The Al Horford fit in Philly has been bad, if we're going to keep it real.
Nonetheless, perhaps Simmons' injury will give Horford a clearer role heading into this matchup. The 6-foot-9 big man has struggled to find his niche as a Sixer, partly because of Simmons' inability to shoot from the outside. This has forced Horford to hover around the 3-point arc and essentially become a designated floor spacer.
Horford, though aged 34, is still an elite inside and outside defender with sound fundamentals. He may not be as athletic or quick-footed as some of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, but Horford is still capable of switching onto smaller perimeter wings and guards and keeping in step with them.
Finally, having played in Brad Stevens' system for three seasons, Horford will surely feed some information and valuable insight on how to defend against Boston.
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