For the 22nd time in NBA playoff history, the Boston Celtics are squaring off against the Philadelphia Sixers.

To reach the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the C's disposed of a pesky Atlanta Hawks squad in six games. Atlanta went from battling in the Play-In Tournament to giving Boston trouble, however the Celtics' stars came up big when it mattered most in Game 6, putting the Hawks' comeback dreams to rest.

Meanwhile, the Sixers breezed by the Brooklyn Nets after quickly sweeping them in four games. Although the Celtics went 3-1 against the 76ers in the regular season and have beaten them in five straight playoff series, this Philadelphia team is much improved.

Center Joel Embiid is likely winning the MVP this year, and he has former MVP James Harden as his No. 2. Plus, Philly has talented point guard Tyrese Maxey as another strong scoring option and boasts a deeper bench than in years past.

All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will be at the forefront for Boston, as the dynamic duo led the C's in scoring in the regular season and the first round. The Green Team also owns a loaded bench with Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon and former NBA All-Defensive Second Teamer Robert Williams III.

Tatum and Brown are undoubtedly the key pieces for the C's, but who will be their biggest X-factor against Philadelphia?

Celtics' biggest X-factor vs. Sixers: Derrick White

At first, Derrick White struggled immensely when the Celtics traded for him last year. The story has been very different during the 2022-23 season.

Plus, in the 2023 playoffs, White has been great so far. Outside of Tatum and Brown, White contributed the most points per game (17.3) against the Hawks. And while Atlanta isn't known for its defense, White also averaged 3.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks through six games.

After playing in all 82 games during the regular season, White was a full-time starter for the Celtics  in the first round. While Boston will need size to slow down Embiid, White has played well enough that he could still find himself in the starting rotation again.

At 6-foot-4, White will hopefully be paired with Embiid as little as possible, but on the offensive side of the ball he could counter Philly's starting lineup. If the C's run small, White and other guards could tire out an already-injured Embiid.

Williams will likely start if White doesn't. However, he doesn't pose much of an offensive threat to Embiid since he rarely ever shoots. Thus, Embiid could take it easy on defense and not exert himself much while guarding the offensively-limited center.

With White, Embiid and company will have to rotate more and keep the guard's scoring potential in mind. And even though White doesn't have the height of Williams, he can still make a positive impact on defense.

When White was assigned to Atlanta star Trae Young, he enjoyed relative success guarding him compared to other Celtics.

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In this series, White may pair up with Maxey. Everyone knows how crucial Embiid and Harden are to Philadelphia, yet Maxey had the best first round of any Sixer. His 21.8 points per game were more than any of his teammates and he's a well-known threat in transition.

Since Maxey is arguably Philly's X-factor, limiting him will be huge. White will have to be up for the job, but he's shown he's capable so far this season.

Overall, Boston will need a much better performance than it had in the first round to triumph over Philly. The head-to-head record might favor the Celtics, however, they're more closely matched with the 76ers than that 3-1 score lets on. Both teams have All-Star talent and are deeper than ever, meaning fans should be in for a show when Game 1 tips off on Monday night.