Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown's Expectations vs. 76ers
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On Thursday night, it became official: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics are set to battle it out against each other in the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
After clinching the third seed in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers faced the Brooklyn Nets in round one. Meanwhile, the second-seeded Celtics picked up a series against the Atlanta Hawks, who upset the Miami Heat in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
It didn’t take long before the Sixers secured their spot in the second round. In the first-round series against the Nets, the Sixers collected four-straight wins, including a victory in Game 4 without their MVP-caliber center Joel Embiid on the floor.
For nearly a week, the Sixers prepared for the second round without knowing their opponent. Although the Celtics were primed to move on as early as Tuesday, the Hawks forced a Game 6, which occurred two nights later.
Atlanta put up a good fight, but the Celtics defeated the Hawks in six games. Now, they are set to tip-off against the Sixers on Monday, May 1, at TD Garden.
Following Boston’s Game 6 win over the Hawks on Thursday, several members of Boston’s organization revealed their expectations going against the 76ers in round two.
“Tough battles, tough matchups,” said Celtics star Jayson Tatum. “Obviously, that’s a great team with supposed to be, probably gonna be the MVP, Embiid. Looking forward to it. This is what the playoffs are about — the best teams and the best players going head up.”
“We know they’re gonna bring the fight,” said Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown. “Philly is a tough environment to win. Their crowd gets involved in the game. It’s gonna be fun. We already know they got some great players in Joel Embiid, James Harden, and company. It’s gonna be another test again. We’re going to have to be ready to fight again, and I’m up for it. I can’t wait.”
Throughout the regular season, the two Atlantic Division rivals faced each other four times. In the first three outings, the Celtics found success and got themselves ready for a possible regular season sweep as they picked up three-straight wins over the Sixers.
Embiid and the Sixers avoided the sweep, as the big man’s 52-point statement game resulted in a 103-101 win for Philadelphia. Although Boston’s regular-season success against the Sixers could be a notable confidence booster for the defending Eastern Conference Champions, the Celtics aren’t sleeping on their opponent.
“[I don’t expect it to be] much different than this series,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after the first round. “They got two All-Stars, they got a great bench, they got a great coach. I expect it to be really hard, and I expect our guys to just constantly stay in the fight.”
“[We’re] not looking past nobody. Taking one game, one series at a time,” Tatum added. “We just had six tough games against the Hawks. Close it out tonight, try to get some rest, and get ready for Philly. Not looking past them. It's gonna be tough. They've had some time off. So it just starts with Game 1 and getting ready for that.”
The Sixers and the Celtics are set to tip off for Game 1 on Monday, May 1. The first two games will take place in Boston before the series returns to Philly next Friday for Games 3 and 4.
