3. Containing Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum and Co.
The Sixers have three elite defenders: Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons. The latter two can defend the perimeter, while Embiid anchors the paint. It generally keeps the Sixers competitive on defense, even with numerous weak links rounding out the rotation.
When it comes to containing dynamic live-ball scorers, however, the Sixers struggle mightily. It’s why the Celtics are such a bad matchup — just about everyone on the floor and create in some capacity.
In Al Horford, the Celtics have a skilled center who can draw Embiid to the perimeter and create on drives. In Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics have two elite isolation scorers who can get buckets at all three levels.
Then there’s Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart, who round out the starting five. Then there’s Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown, who check in off the bench. Not to mention Terry Rozier, who made himself a lot of money with his performance against Philadelphia in the postseason.
The Sixers’ bench, J.J. Redick and Wilson Chandler have all struggled against players who can consistently create off the dribble. Recent games have been an improvement, but fews teams are as challenging to defend as Boston at full strength.