Should the Celtics fear the Sixers or Heat in the first round of the NBA Playoffs? The post originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
It's very likely that the Boston Celtics will face a perennial contender from the Eastern Conference in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs.
As the No. 1 seed in the East, the Celtics will tie for the No. 8 seed who will be the winner of the NBA Play-In Tournament's “losers bracket” game. The No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers will host the No. 8 Miami Heat on Wednesday night, with the winner securing the No. 7 seed and the loser of that game playing No. 9 vs. No. 10 (Chicago). He will play against the winner of Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks) will earn the right to earn the No. 8 seed.
The loser of Tuesday's Sixers-Heat game would be Boston's most likely opponent, as the Sixers and Heat would both have an advantage against the Bulls or Hawks (especially at home).
Given the way the playoffs are going between Philadelphia and Miami, should the Celtics and their fans be concerned about this potentially tricky first-round matchup? Former Celtics forward and current C's radio analyst 's Cedric Maxwell gave his definitive take on NBC Sports Boston on Monday. Early version of Albela.
”If you’re scared, get a dog,” Maxwell said. “This (Celtics) team is a great team and the way they're playing right now represents who they are. This is a defensive team. They get things done on both ends of the floor. We had a big lead (in the standings), but then we started coasting a little bit, which I didn't really like. But what I can say is, if you look at this team as a whole, this team is really advancing. It means you can do it.”
The Sixers had a 3-2 series lead against Boston in Game 7 of the East semifinals last year, until the Celtics came back to win the series. He has lost six games in a row. They have lost six of their last eight regular season games against Boston.
So even if current NBA MVP Joel Embiid returns to the Sixers' roster, Maxwell believes the Celtics will have a clear advantage against Philadelphia.
“They played very well against Philadelphia this year,” Maxwell said of the Celtics. “They've dominated Philadelphia the last few years. There's no fear on this team…and when you look at Kristaps Porzingis, what he brings is that you get guys like Joe Embiid out there. “So I like the Celtics' chances again.”
Even though Boston has dominated Philadelphia recently, Maxwell admitted he would like the Central League to tie with the Heat. The Heat sent Boston as the No. 8 seed in last year's East Finals and led the Celtics to seven games in the 2022 East Finals.
“That's enough,” Maxwell said of why he prefers playing in Miami over Philadelphia. “This is the team you want to play for. Don't worry about this 'boogeyman' that everyone is talking about and face him head on.”
After a historic 64-18 regular season, the Celtics will have to wait until Friday night after the play-in finale to find out their playoff opponents. Game 1 of Boston's first-round series will likely be Sunday afternoon.
For more on what Maxwell had to say about the Celtics' playoff chances, check out the video player above and the YouTube video below.
