Joe Mazzulla explains why Celtics face ‘tough test’ in first round vs. Sixers

The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are set to meet for the 23rd time in the NBA playoffs on Sunday, reigniting one of the league’s most historic rivalries. To coach Joe Mazzulla, this Sixers team in particular presents a challenge for the C’s.

“Philly’s a great team, as you saw throughout the season, and to get to this point with all the injuries that they’ve had and to be where they are now, it’s gonna be a tough test for us,” Mazzulla told reporters at Friday’s practice, per CLNS Media. “We gotta be ready for it.”

To secure a playoff spot, the Sixers overcame the challenge of turning a shorthanded roster into a contender. Both Joel Embiid and Paul George played less than half of the regular season, forcing coach Nick Nurse to adapt. Guard Tyrese Maxey inherited the No. 1 role, averaging a career-high 28.3 points across 70 starts, while rookie V.J. Edgecombe averaged 16 points on 43.8 percent shooting in 75 starts.

Obviously, playing without two of your top three players isn’t ideal. However, as Mazzulla explained, the Sixers managed to find a silver lining in what many would consider a throwaway season.

“With those guys out throughout the season, their role players have been able to develop into big-time roles,” Mazzulla said. “With the way (Kelly) Oubre’s playing, (Andre) Drummond has been playing, (Adem) Bona has gotten better and better, (Quentin) Grimes off the bench — so I think they’re a very, very well-balanced team. I think they’re playing some of their best basketball as they get healthier and healthier, and obviously they’re a well-coached team.”

Philadelphia snuck into the play-in tournament and defeated the Orlando Magic on Wednesday without Embiid, who underwent emergency surgery last week after being diagnosed with appendicitis.

For the time being, there isn’t a definitive timetable for Embiid’s return. Nurse announced Friday that Embiid is officially ruled out for Game 1 against the Celtics and didn’t address whether a return at any point throughout the series is still in play.

Drummond, in his 14th season, came off the bench and notched a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double in 31 minutes during Philadelphia’s play-in victory. He and Bona combined for six blocks against Orlando, helping fill the void of Embiid’s absence in a way the Celtics will have to account for in Round 1.

“Those other guys have developed to impact winning, and they’re a well-balanced team because of that,“ Mazulla added.

It’s a similar situation to what Boston dealt with, playing its first 62 games without Jayson Tatum. The Sixers went 21–23 without Embiid, but the ups and downs allowed others to figure out what Nurse would need from them in order to succeed. Nurse admitted after their win over the Magic that the process “wasn’t pretty,” but it was still enough to get the Sixers to this point and give themselves a chance.

Twice in the regular season, Nurse’s Sixers beat Mazzulla’s Celtics across four meetings. Philadelphia was without Embiid in two of those games and did not have George in any of them.

The Celtics have the upper hand in having not played since their regular-season finale this past Sunday. Their starters, all of whom sat out, haven’t played since last Friday. With plenty of time to rest and prepare, Mazzulla is focused on making sure Boston begins its postseason run the right way.

“Game 1s of any series are always important,” Mazzulla said. “You want to get off to a great start. You want to have your game plan right. You want to have your sub-pattern right. You want to be able to execute. You want to make sure all the things you’ve been working on all week are there.

“At the same time, every series takes on a life of its own. So we want to be at our best by Game 1, but we also want to be in the mind frame of however long it takes, we’re gonna sit in this. We’re playing against a great team, so whatever we have to do, we have to be ready to do it.”