rating of 120 and a defensive rating of 113, which is much better than Atlanta played in the opening round of the playoffs against Boston (116 ORtg, 121 DRtg), and the Hawks still managed to steal two wins in that series.
The Celtics originally entered this series as steep -310 favorites to advance to the next round, and rightfully so. Boston is the only team in the NBA that ranks Top 3 in both offensive and defensive rating (118 ORtg, 112 DRtg), and the Sixers already find themselves behind the 8-ball early due to the health status of their best player.
However, the Celtics continue to prove time-and-time again that they cannot be trusted. The Hawks simply weren’t very good this year. They finished 8th in the conference with a record of 41-41, while ranking just 18th in the league in net rating (+0.3 NetRtg), and truth be told, given the fact that Atlanta was able to take two games from Boston in the previous round, the Sixers should be able to do the very same in the second, with or without Embiid.
Can Philly win this series without Embiid? Very unlikely. But as the C’s have already learned, the Sixers are still a dangerous basketball team in the absence of their superstar, and if Embiid is able to return and make an impact during the latter part of this series, the Sixers are more than capable of giving the C’s a run for their money.
Sure, Harden probably won’t score 45 points again this time around, but Boston probably won’t shoot 72% FG in the first half either. The spread for this one is far too lopsided. Take the points with the Sixers in Game 2. BY M.Crosson
Score Prediction: Celtics 112, Sixers 109
Best Bet: Sixers +7.5 (-110)
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