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Trusting the Process was never about winning an NBA title. It was about having the genuine chance at winning an NBA title. Well, with Joel Embiid sidelined, the Philadelphia 76ers cannot justifiably have either thought this season, certainly not with the Boston Celtics looking poised to win the Eastern Conference.
My 76ers vs. Celtics predictions and these NBA picks lean into the lopsided nature of this series, including in Game 2 on Tuesday, April 21.
It is the Philadelphia 76ers’ misfortune that the Boston Celtics were without Jayson Tatum for so long this season. They are effectively playing the best team in the Eastern Conference despite being the No. 7 seed. In a more just life, the 76ers would get a shot at the stumbling Detroit Pistons.
Instead, this should be the most lopsided of sweeps in this postseason.
The Celtics led by 18 at halftime in Game 1, and they did not even play that well. Boston shot just 6-of-18 from beyond the arc in the first half on Sunday. Philadelphia attempted four more free throws in the half as well as three more field goals, and the rebounding margin was even.
But the Celtics’ dominance is so thorough that they do not need to play well to steamroll the 76ers. Philadelphia shot 2-of-16 from deep in that first half, turned over the ball nine times compared to logging nine assists, and if not for 10 offensive rebounds, may have trailed by 25 at the break.
Could the 76ers have played better? Obviously, but it is an emphatic realization that the Celtics did not play well in the first half, yet they won by 18 points. Their margin for error in this series is humbling and intimidating, and should worry everyone else in the Eastern Conference.
With a bounty of respect for the veteran center, Philadelphia is relying too much on Andre Drummond to be taken seriously in the playoffs in 2026. Drummond has put together an impressive 13-year career, one defined by rebounding dominance in the 2010s that has now become a quality asset in a reserve.
But looking at Drummond for rebounds is not a smart move when he cannot defend anyone in the opponents’ rotation. He posted a -19 in 21 minutes in Game 1.
With Joel Embiid sidelined by an appendectomy, the 76ers have little choice but to play Drummond, but that reality dooms Philadelphia to waiting for a blowout in which its offense eventually becomes a liability.
Consider this a desperation measure from Philadelphia. If the 76ers are going to find any traction in this series, it needs more than 34 combined points from Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. They probably need to play more than 36 and 34 minutes, as they respectively did in Game 1.
Unless one of them goes off to the tune of 40+ points, it likely will not be enough, but these are the horses that got Philadelphia here. They need to be the horses the 76ers ride in this first-round series.
For a team that was effectively locked into its postseason seeding, Boston never let up as the regular season ended. The Celtics know they still need to find all forms of rhythm with Jayson Tatum in the lineup, hence going 7-1 against the spread in their last eight games. Find more NBA betting trends for 76ers vs. Celtics.
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