NBA: 76ers vs. Celtics is the first-round playoff series the league needs
The Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics first-round playoff series is the matchup that the league needs to bring back some excitement
The Eastern Conference is absolutely stacked, and there are four teams that you wouldn’t be surprised if they made the NBA Finals this season. And with that comes a highly entertaining next few months, as the playoff approach and begin.
And as it currently stands, one of those potentially highly entertaining playoff series could come in the first round, between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics. The Sixers and Celtics are currently sitting in the 4-5 matchup.
However, ESPN’s Zach Lowe argues that a first-round playoff series between the 76ers and Celtics would be a “catastrophe” but I’m not so sure.
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While it would be at least somewhat disappointing to see one of these teams, who many believe to be contenders, eliminated in the first round, it would also be highly entertaining and pretty rare to see two teams this talented meet so early in the playoffs.
The Celtics and 76ers are two teams that you wouldn’t be surprised if they met in the Eastern Conference Finals. Last year they met in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. However, this type of entertaining first-round series might be exactly what the NBA needs right now.
There has been somewhat of a lull around the playoffs over the last couple of years, due to LeBron James absolutely owning the Eastern Conference for nearly a decade and the Golden State Warriors dominating and running through the West.
Perhaps revitalizing the public with an electric first-round series between the likes of Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler vs. Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford is exactly what the NBA needs right about now.
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So while not having the 76ers or Celtics make a deep run in the playoffs would not be great from the overall aspect, especially considering this could be a Conference Finals matchup, it could bring back the magic of the playoffs.
That, more than anything, is probably something the NBA would perfectly be happy with bringing back. Plus, a Celtics or 76ers vs. Raptors or Bucks Eastern Conference Finals matchup wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world either.