Poll: Boston Celtics Vs. Philadelphia 76ers

On Monday, we asked you to make your pick for the Eastern Conference Semifinal that pits the top-seeded Raptors against the LeBron James-led Cavaliers. As I noted in that story, the Warriors and Rockets are significant favorites to advance in the West, and Boston’s injury-plagued roster makes the Sixers a big favorite in the other Eastern series.

However, in Game 1 of that Celtics/Sixers series on Monday night, Boston certainly didn’t look like an underdog. The C’s controlled the game, racking up 17 three-pointers and giving the Sixers’ offense problems on the other end of the court. Led by Jayson Tatum, Terry Rozier, and Al Horford, the Celtics won Game 1 in convincing fashion despite missing Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, and Daniel Theis.

Even after the Celtics’ Game 1 win, the Sixers are still favored by oddsmakers to win the series. In fact, the Celtics – up 1-0 in the series – are viewed as a longer shot to advance to the next round than the underdog Cavs are in the other Eastern Semifinal, which hasn’t yet started.

Those odds make sense — the Sixers may have been rusty after their long layoff between games, and we should expect point guard Ben Simmons to play better than he did in Game 1 (seven turnovers). Philadelphia probably won’t shoot 5-of-26 on three-pointers again either.

Still, the Celtics, led by Brad Stevens‘ inventive schemes, showed they won’t be pushovers. With Brown hoping to return soon and the C’s holding home court advantage for now, a long series looks like a distinct possibility.

What do you think? Will the Sixers bounce back and advance to the Eastern Finals, or will the Celtics build on Game 1’s win and maintain control of the series going forward?

Vote in our poll, then head below to the comment section to share your thoughts on the series!

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