The season-ending injury sustained by Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons is just one reason why many believe the Sixers are going to be one-and-done in the playoffs. However, the Sixers' first-round opponent in the Boston Celtics continue to be wary of the dangers of this side sans their All-Star point forward.

Celtics head coach Brad Stevens opened up about how he believes Sixers star Joel Embiid might emerge as an even bigger threat in the absence of Simmons:

“Embiid is one of the best bigs in the league,” he said, via Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “[Al] Horford is tremendous as well. [Tobias] Harris is a big wing, on down the line. They’ve got big long guards. I’ve said this a few times this week. Simmons is an outstanding player, but without him now they’re posting those guys and they’ve got four shooters around Embiid all the time, makes it extremely difficult to play against. They’ve played games, especially on that [offensive] end, without Simmons all year. They’re a very, very difficult matchup for anyone and their size creates challenges on both ends of the floor.”

Celtics stud Jaylen Brown echoed his coach's thoughts. According to the 6-foot-6 swingman, the Celtics will have to execute their game plan to a T against a guy like Embiid:

“We just have to do our job; everybody has to do their job,” said Brown. “Embiid is a one-of-a-kind type of talent that you don’t see very often. We have to do our job, our best to slow him down and [make him] have a tough night. He’s going to come out and dominate and own space and we’ve got to execute our game plan and hopefully he has an off night, an off couple of nights.”

Boston is the favorite to emerge out of this first-round meeting, but the club has no intention of relaxing here. They understand what kind of team Philadelphia is, as well as the threat they bring even without Simmons in the lineup.

Moreover, there's a lot at stake for the Sixers here. The Process has failed to come to fruition over the past years, and a first-round exit might just spell the end of an era in Philadelphia.