Three Outside-The-Box Reasons The Celtics Should Want The Sixers in the Playoffs

It might not really matter who the Celtics play, but there are some strong reasons to just avoid the Magic and face Philly in the first round

Oct 22, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) talks with Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

1. Orlando vs. Philadelphia
2. Boston vs. Philadelphia
3. Boston vs. Orlando
4. Who should Boston want to face?

The Boston Celtics are enjoying a couple of days to rest and recuperate after a 56-win regular season that earned them the second seed. They’ll head back to practice this week still not knowing who their opponent is, and that won’t be determined until the Philadelphia 76ers host the Orlando Magic tonight. 

Who should the Celtics want? Who is most likely to emerge from the game? Let’s dive into the numbers. 

Orlando vs. Philadelphia

Season series: 76ers 2-1 

Game 1, October 27, at Philadelphia: PHI 136 - ORL 124 Tyrese Maxey scored 43 points, eight in the fourth quarter, to beat the Magic without Joel Embiid. Paolo Banchero had 32, but the 76ers led for most of the game. 

Game 2, November 25 at Philadelphia: ORL 144 - PHI 103 Anthony Black scored 31 and the Magic outscored Philadelphia 51-25 in the second quarter to fuel the blowout. Orlando was missing Banchero, while the Sixers were without VJ Edgecomb, Joel Embiid, and Paul George. 

Game 3, January 12 at Orlando: PHI 103 - ORL 91 Tyrese Maxey scored 29, Joel Embiid had 22, and Paul George had 18 in the win. Orlando only scored 12 points in the fourth quarter. Both teams shot 14% from three.

Sixers at home: 23-18
Magic on the road: 19-20

Injuries
PHI - Joel Embiid (out indefinitely, Appendectomy surgery recovery)
ORL - Jett Howard (day-to-day, ankle), Jonathan Isaac (day-to-day, knee) 
Note: Franz Wagner remains on a minutes restriction as he recovers from a high ankle sprain, so he’s not 100%

Analysis: The Magic really messed up by taking the depleted Celtics lightly on Sunday. They have to travel to Philadelphia to take on a Sixers team that loves to run when Embiid sits. If the Magic can control the boards and limit their turnovers, they have a chance. But having just watched how they approach games, it’s hard to imagine they have the fight in them to win a tough road game. If push comes to shove, I can see Orlando wilting and quitting and just deciding to go home and try to beat an easier team in a couple of nights. I’m picking Philly. 

Boston vs. Philadelphia

Season Series: 2-2 

October 22 at Boston: PHI 117 - BOS 116
October 31 at Philadelphia: BOS 109 - PHI 108
November 11 at Philadelphia: PHI 102 - BOS 100
March 1 at Boston: BOS 114 - PHI 98

Three of these games came well before the Celtics figured themselves out. Boston was 5-7 after that second loss to the Sixers, so there's no point in going back and diving into those games. 

At this point, the March game is a little iffy as far as analysis in a potential series because it was pre-Jayson Tatum. Neemias Queta had a monster 27-point, 17-rebound, 3-block night, which is really interesting because it suggests he’ll be able to really impact a series that doesn’t involve Embiid. The Sixers won’t last long if they have to play Andre Drummond a lot. 

A key to defending the Sixers is to just not let anyone else get involved. Maxey and Edgecombe combined for 53 points and the Sixers as a whole put up 98. If Queta can avoid foul trouble and the Celtics can protect the rim and corner threes like they have all season, then they’ll be fine. The Sixers were sixth in the league in frequency of shots at the rim, so finding a way to stay in front of a speed demon like Maxey and impeding his progress without fouling will lead to easy wins. 

The Sixers were 18th in offense and 15th in defense after the All-Star break, with a net rating of -0.9. 

Defensively, the Sixers allow 34.2% of opponent shots at the rim, 25th in the league. That's a godsend for players like Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They are 24th in percentage of corner three-pointers allowed, so get ready to see the term “flirting with a triple double” if the Celtics matchup against the Sixers. Their defense is tailor-made to be exploited by Boston’s offense. 

Boston vs. Orlando

Season Series: Celtics 3-1

November 7 at Orlando: ORL 123 - BOS 110
November 9 at Orlando: BOS 111 - ORL 107
November 23 at Boston: BOS 138 - ORL 129
April 12 at Boston: BOS 113 - ORL 108 

Three games against the same team in November and then not playing again until the final game of the season is an absurd schedule. 

The same concept from the last section applies to the Celtics and Magic since three of their games were before Thanksgiving and Boston was 9-8 after the third game. Those Celtics were nowhere near what today’s Celtics are. 

This last game was fun, and if it tells us anything, it’s that Orlando’s culture is infected and dying while Boston’s is thriving. Joe Mazzulla might be able to beat Orlando with me, you, that person who cut you off on the way to work (we need a Dillon Brooks-type to be an agitator), that kid at the Dunkin’ drive thru, and Baylor Scheierman (I can’t carry ALL the scoring). 

I used to think a series against the Magic would be tough because they’d have some pride, even though they're done with Jamahl Mosley. I was wrong. They are a mess. 

Who should Boston want to face?

The cop-out answer is that it doesn't matter. Neither team has what it takes to beat Boston four times. But I will pick a side and say I’d rather face the Sixers. 

I do think Orlando is worse, so let’s look at this from a little bit of a different angle. 

First, why bother flying all the way to Florida? The Philly flight is short, so let’s get these guys in and out of town in a hurry. Yes, they fly in a great charter, but it’s still a plane and a pressurized cabin, so let’s just avoid that mess and get them to and from their destination with minimal impact on their bodies.

Second, I don’t trust Orlando to not do something stupid. That's a frustrated bunch of guys, and it’s very easy for a team that historically plays with an edge to channel frustration into a dumb, hard foul or a fight. If they go out meekly at home, getting booed off the court, I can easily see one of them taking it out on a Celtic and I don’t want an injury or a suspension lingering into the second round. 

Finally, there's nothing like a playoff series between the Sixers and Celtics. On a personal level, my absolute favorite atmosphere is a Celtics playoff game in Philadelphia. The hate is palpable. It fills the air hours before the game. It soothes the soul of the old basketball player in me. There is nothing like a Boston win in Philadelphia, just because Philadelphia hates Boston SO much. 

So I’d rather see the Sixers in the first round. It’ll be the most fun.