The most intriguing first round matchup in the Eastern Conference is without a doubt the 3/6 pairing between the Atlantic Division rival Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics. These historic NBA franchises have locked horns in the postseason three times since the turn of the century, and it was the Celtics that came out the victor each time. That said, Philly took the 2020 regular season rivalry by taking down three of the four games both SU and ATS. However, a healthy Ben Simmons was in the lineup for each of those games and that won’t be the case in the bubble after suffering a season-ending knee injury. It will be the battle of the Sixers bigs against the C’s excelled guard play; who wins the series at online sportsbooks? Let’s dig in and find out!
This series will take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL. Tip-off is scheduled for Monday, August 17, 2020 and go to Sunday, August 29 should a seventh game be required to crown the victor. All games will be aired live on TNT, ESPN and ABC. You can bet on NBA Odds at BookMaker.eu the remainder of the playoffs including Game 1 which finds Boston currently installed 5.5-point favorites with the game total lined at 220.
Series Winner Odds
Philadelphia 76ers +334
Boston Celtics -406
Series Schedule
Game 1: Mon, Aug 17 Philadelphia at Boston, 6:30 ET, ESPN
Game 2: Wed, Aug 19 Philadelphia at Boston, 6:30 ET, TNT
Game 3: Fri, Aug 21 Boston at Philadelphia, 6:30 ET, TNT
Game 4: Sun, Aug 23 Boston at Philadelphia, 1 ET, ABC
Game 5*: Tue, Aug 25 Philadelphia at Boston, TBD, TBD
Game 6*: Thu, Aug 27 Boston at Philadelphia, TBD, ESPN
Game 7*: Sun, Aug 29 Philadelphia at Boston, TBD, TNT
Futures Odds Analysis
The Celtics +520 odds of winning the Eastern Conference check in only behind the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors. The same can’t be said of the 76ers at +2100 which are only shorter than the Indiana Pacers +4200, Brooklyn Nets 110-1 and Orlando Magic 130-1. Clearly, oddsmakers don’t envision the Simmons-less 76ers making much noise in the playoffs when you take into account their current +300 payout in the opening round of postseason play. Boston actually hit the board as -300 chalk to win this series, but has taken money ever since. In terms of winning it all, the Celtics currently offer up a 12-1 return while the 76ers clock in at 50-1.
Head-To-Head Results
The 76ers set the tone with the Celtics by smacking them 107-93 as 5.5-point favorites way back on October 23. It was the season opener for both clubs and it couldn’t have gone any better for the new-look Sixers who saw each member of its brand new starting five go for double-digits led by Simmons 24 points. That was followed up with a 115-109 outright win as 1-point underdogs in Beantown where Embiid erupted for 38 points and 13 rebounds. Philly fought back from a first quarter deficit to snare the 109-98 win and cover as 1-point dogs in the third meeting back in Philly; a game Embiid missed. Having had enough of getting embarrassed, Boston laid the smack down in the final meeting winning 116-95 as 1.5-point home dogs in a game Kemba Walker missed. In all, Philly went 3-1 SU and ATS with the under cashing in three times and an average of 210.5 points scored.
76ers Player to Watch
With Simmons scoring prowess and defensive tenacity now out of the equation, it will be up to Joel Embiid to help advance his teammates into the conference semifinals. When locked in, the big man is arguably the best in the game. Unfortunately, he continues to be an injury concern - or a China Doll - however you want to classify it. Regardless, Boston doesn’t have anyone on the roster that can defend him. That’s evidenced by the fact that he averaged 21.3 points and 10.3 rebounds the three times he ran up against Boston this year. His success will ultimately hinge upon his ability to read and react to Celtics’ double teams. If he can figure it out, he’ll likely be able to score at will and set his teammates up for high percentage shot attempts.
Celtics Player to Watch
Long rotting away in Charlotte without a realistic shot of making noise in the postseason, the time has come for Kemba Walker to showcase his skills in the second season for a team that actually has a shot at shocking the big boys over the next few months. With Simmons’ perimeter defense no longer available, Kemba and the rest of Boston’s sharpshooters will have an opportunity to light things up from deep. Save for the season opener, Walker thrived against the 76ers defense in scoring an average of 27.5 points and knocking down 10 of 24 shots from beyond the arc. Whether it’s Josh Richardson or Matisse Thybulle trying to lock him down, Kemba is going to need to go HAM for the Celtics to live up to oddsmaker’s expectations.
Coaching
When it’s said and done for Brad Stevens, he’ll go down in the history books as one of the better coaches to ever overlook the Boston Celtics franchise. For someone at the ripe age of 43, a .564 winning percentage at the NBA level is pretty darn good. What does open the door for scrutiny however is the playoff record: 27-29 with a seven-game loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals. Still, his job security is intact. The same can’t be said of Brett Brown even though he’s been there since the beginning of Philly “Trusting the Process.” He took the Sixers to the conference semis the previous two seasons where they fell to the Celtics and Raptors. Though playing with less than a full deck, upper management might start believing they’ve plateaued under his watch should they be unable to continue its season dominance over Boston. With that, he could possibly be coaching for his job over the course of this series.
NBA Playoffs Odds Pick
Even with Simmons riding the pine due to injury, the 76ers will march a ton of talent onto the hardwood. That speaks volumes about how much this franchise has grown since the rebuild. Unfortunately, I don’t foresee it being enough to contend with a Boston side that also his supreme talent that just so happens to be firing on all cylinders in the bubble. Jayson Tatum is going to be nearly impossible to contain with Simmons out of commission. Though Tobias Harris, Richardson and Thybulle will try their damndest to fill Simmons’ void, it’s ultimately not going to be enough. Philly won the regular season rivalry between these division rivals, but it’ll be the Celtics that have the last laugh with everything on the line.
Prediction: Celtics in 6
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