At no point in Game 1 did the Philadelphia 76ers look like they're up for the challenge of competing with the Boston Celtics. That's not really their fault, obviously, as their former MVP is recovering from appendicitis and the Boston Celtics are a bit of a tank.
But it was especially disheartening to see how Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla approached this game — as basically a trial run to see who will be in the rotation for the Celtics the rest of the series and playoffs.
Ten guys recorded at least 15 minutes of playing time for the C's, and there wasn't much dropoff when the deep bench guys were on the court. Everyone on Boston recorded a positive plus/minus. A lot of those minutes came in garbage time, but all 10 guys did see the court (and score) in the first half.
That's not great. When even the reserves look comfortable, it becomes hard to imagine where the Sixers will find an advantage. The Celtics' starting lineup is obviously dominant, and if Mazzulla feels just as confident rolling out bench groups, it might be a quick series.
Celtics were just exprimenting on Sunday, and it was working
An attempt at a positive spin; Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Kelly Oubre aren't going to shoot 1/14 from 3-point range all series long. Nick Nurse will make adjustments, and this will be the biggest blowout of the series (speaking it into existence).
But the deep lineup that Mazzulla was confident playing might actually be a problem, because I don't feel confident assuming those guys — like Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh — should be discounted after a lucky game, because they are good players after all. That's kind of why the Celtics are so dangerous.
Meanwhile, the Sixers bench is one big question mark. Depth has been a problem all year long, and against a team that just finds random players and turns them into serviceable NBA players, that will be a problem, especially if the starting lineup can't outperform Boston's starting five on a nightly basis.
It's an uphill climb. I will never declare a series over after one game, but the Sixers were always going to need a near-perfect performance to steal a few games, and we just saw exactly why that will be so difficult. Joe Mazzulla's ability to play just about anyone he wants and still have the confidence the Celtics will outscore the Sixers in those minutes is a tad concerning.
Add us as a preferred source on Google