The Philadelphia 76ers narrowly missed out on automatic playoff qualification and now face a Play-In clash with the Orlando Magic -- their first of two chances to secure a First Round berth. A win would set up a daunting matchup against an ever-improving Boston Celtics team. With Cade Cunningham still working his way back to full fitness following an 11-game absence due to injury, would a potential second-chance game against the Detroit Pistons represent the more favourable path?
It has been an unusual year in the NBA, especially with the distorted landscape in the Eastern Conference. When the season began, few believed the Celtics had any chance of chasing a championship, largely because their superstar, Jayson Tatum, was coming off a lengthy injury layoff. Nevertheless, despite a slow start, Joe Mazzulla and Boston have defied the odds to compete at the higher echelons of the standings and have cemented the two seed.
Now, with their roster returning to full strength and gathering momentum, it seems that their final position as the second-best team in the East may not truly resemble the devastation they could cause. Without Joel Embiid, the prospect of the postseason already appeared difficult; adding a resurgent Celtics team into the mix just feels cruel.
Boston presents a tougher challenge than Detroit
To be clear, the Philadelphia 76ers do not possess the quality to dictate which path they choose, even with a thriving Tyrese Maxey on the roster. Their main priority must be to ensure qualification for the First Round of the playoffs. Nevertheless, when analysing both the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons in their current guise, it is obvious which matchup is more favourable.
Both the Celtics (56-26) and the Pistons (60-22) boasted incredible regular-season records, but these statistics no longer matter. Momentum and composure in the playoffs are the main components of a deep run, and it feels like Boston is in the driver's seat.
Jaylen Brown inspired his teammates for much of the Celtics' campaign, allowing Joe Mazzulla time to find an effective blueprint with his 29-year-old star fronting the charge. Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists while he shouldered much of the offensive burden in Tatum's absence. This version of Boston felt powerful. Yet, with Jayson Tatum making a miraculous return to action, this roster has never felt more dangerous.
Somehow, Jayson Tatum has returned. (Star Wars reference anyone?) Nobody predicted that Tatum would return to action this year, never mind at the All-Star level he is playing at. The Duke alum featured 16 times for Boston this year, averaging 21.8 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. During this period, the Celtics have won 13 of their 16 games.
In comparison, Cade Cunningham only managed to feature three times after an 11-game absence due to a collapsed lung. These fixtures were enough of a sample size to prove that Detroit's star man was feeling the rust of his injury layoff. Cunningham recorded 11.3 points per game, while shooting 44.4% from the floor and 18.2% from deep. Fortunately, as a ball facilitator, Cunningham is still thriving, averaging 10.3 assists per game.
Even without Cade Cunningham, the Detroit Pistons continued to rack up important wins -- a key reason they sit atop the Eastern Conference. However, with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown back in a lineup together, the Celtics feel like a different animal. Unfortunately, the only animal that the Philadelphia 76ers currently resemble is one that is wounded. If the Sixers defeat Orlando, a seven-game series against the Celtics feels like an impossible task.
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