While the first round was certainly entertaining, the Sixers know their work is far from over. They have a great opportunity to take down a very beatable Celtics team and return to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001.
When I say that the Celtics are beatable I mean that the Sixers were fairly successful against them during the regular season. On March 7th, the Sixers defeated the Celtics 103-71, and then beat them again a few weeks later by a final of 99-86. But on April 8th, in the final meeting of the regular season, the Celtics crushed the Sixers and won by a final of 103-79.
It's hard to tell much from the season series between the two teams especially when you consider the fact that the Celtics are a veteran team that can flick a completely different switch in the postseason. The Celtics won the championship in 2008 and they definitely know what it takes to win in the playoffs.
But again the Sixers know that they can beat the Celtics and they know they have a legitimate shot at moving on to the conference finals. Season series aside, what else do the Sixers have to do to beat the Celtics? Here are just some of the things the Sixers need to focus on in the upcoming series.
Increase The Tempo
Let's face it the Celtics are an old team. Ray Allen is 36, Kevin Garnett will turn 36 during the series, and Paul Pierce is the youngster of the Big Three at age 34. The Celtics can't keep pace with a young and athletic team like the Sixers. The Sixers need to get out into transition and really increase the tempo of the game. If they get stuck playing in the half court they will lose this series.
Defensive Roots
The Sixers were successful against the Bulls when they focused on playing good solid team defense. The Sixers need to again focus on playing team defense against the Celtics. Hawes and Brand need to hedge out on their guards, and they need to double up on Garnett. They can't let Garnett get easy one on one matchups. They need to help each other out and slide down and collapse on the ball whenever possible.
Elton Brand
Brand was bad against the Bulls in round one, plain and simple. Brand's scoring lines for round one go as follows: 19,12,0,7,5, and 5. Brand started out the series pretty good but then became more and more of a non-factor as the series went on. Doug Collins needs to look for ways to get Brand more involved offensively. They need to get him clean open looks and he needs to start knocking down shots.
Stay Hungry
The Sixers can't be satisfied with just making it to the second round. Although knocking off a number 1 seed and advancing to the second round for the first time since 2003 is impressive, the Sixers need to keep their eyes focused on what lies ahead. Like I said before they have a very good opportunity to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. But if they lose that hunger this will be a very quick series.
Play With Confidence
A lot of people are putting an asterisk next to the Sixers' round one victory over the Bulls. Although the Sixers became just the 5th team in NBA history to knock off a number 1 seed, many people are quick to point out that the Bulls were without Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah for a good amount of the series. While the injuries to both players were certainly unfortunate, the Sixers can't control who gets hurt. All they can do is go out and play against the five guys the Bulls put out on the floor. The Sixers did just that and they came away victorious. In the next round the Sixers can't play like a team that doesn't deserve to be in the second round. The Sixers do deserve to be there and they need to play with confidence against the Celtics.
Evan Turner
Turner once again showed flashes of brilliance in round one against the Bulls. Turner averaged close to 13 points against Bulls and really seemed to take charge at times. In the Sixers' 103-71 victory over the Celtics during the regular season, Turner had 26 points and was 11-19 from the field. Turner needs to continue to attack the basket and play with confidence in the upcoming round.
Overall this is a very winnable series for the Sixers. I think that this will be an extremely tough and grind out series but ultimately I think the Sixers will win it in 7. Below is the complete schedule for the series.
Game 1: Sat. May 12, at Bos., 8 p.m.
Game 2: Mon., May 14 at Bos., 7 p.m.
Game 3: Wed., May 16 at Phila., 7 p.m.
Game 4: Fri., May 18 at Phila., TBA
Game 5: TBA at Boston***
Game 6: TBA at Philadelphia***
Game 7: TBA at Boston***
***If necessary.
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