The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers will renew their rivalry Monday night in Game 1 of their first round NBA playoff series.
The Sixers had the upper hand during the regular season by winning three of the four meetings, but few experts are picking Philly to carry that success into the playoffs.
The primary reason for that is the injury to 76ers point guard Ben Simmons. The 24-year-old All-Star recently had knee surgery and won't play in this Round 1 series. Simmons' absence is a tough blow for a Sixers team that relies on his scoring, playmaking and defense. The Sixers also didn't give their fans much reason for optimism based on the team's lackluster play in the eight seeding games. Philly went 4-4 in those matchups and allowed 116.3 points per game.
Expectations are high for the Celtics after a strong showing in the seeding games. The C's earned a 5-3 record with quality wins over the Toronto Raptors and Portland Trail Blazers, and several of Boston's best players performed at a high level, most notably Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Tatum and Brown played important roles when the Celtics defeated the 76ers in the 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals, and the C's will need similar production from their two young stars to eliminate Philly from the playoffs again.
NBC Sports Boston has you covered with complete coverage of Celtics vs. 76ers, starting at 5:30 p.m. ET with "Celtics Pregame Live". Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Boston, with complete postgame analysis after the final buzzer on "Celtics Postgame Live."
How to watch Celtivs vs. 76ers Live Stream?
- On TV: NBC Sports Boston
- Desktop/Laptop: NBCSportsBoston.com [click here]
- Mobile/Tablet: MyTeams App by NBC Sports [download]