The Celtics Opened The NBA Season With A Breezy Win Over The 76ers

With their full complement of high-end players available, the Boston Celtics are a trendy pick to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2019 NBA Finals. Though Brad Stevens’ team did not put together a flawless performance in the regular season opener, the Celtics did nothing to dissuade viewers from the belief that they are the class of the East, taking care of business in a 105-87 victory over Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Excitement was high for a match-up between two legitimate contenders on opening night but, in the early going, the quality of play was spotty at best. Fortunately, there were a few moments of note in the first half, including a strong showing from Simmons.

Still, the Celtics managed to hold off the Sixers to the tune of a five-point halftime advantage and that, in itself, was rather impressive given the circumstances. Boston shot just 36.5 percent from the floor through two quarters and that included an ugly, 0-for-8 showing from Kyrie Irving. On the flip side, Philadelphia committed 11 costly turnovers before halftime, a significant factor in the home team holding the disadvantage despite its own struggles.

Fireworks began to erupt in the third quarter, as Boston scored 30 points in the quarter with the help of youngster Jayson Tatum. The second-year forward zoomed 20 points through three quarters and put on a show to boot.

Then, the Celtics delivered something of a glancing blow early in the closing period, quickly extending their advantage from to 17 and seemingly putting things away for good. While no one play told the story of Boston’s advantage in the fourth, a beautiful pass from an unlikely source in Aron Baynes certainly contributed.

Not to be outdone, Tatum submitted a ball-handling exhibition with an amusing ending against Embiid.

And, finally, Jaylen Brown (somehow) got a dunk attempt to go, despite the best efforts of Embiid in resistance.

Philly did hang around at times during the fourth quarter, slashing the margin to as few as 11 points in the final minutes, but the Sixers never fully mounted a charge on the way to the final result.

Individual performances, especially at this juncture in the season, will always draw rapid reaction, which was the case here. On the Philadelphia side, Simmons was both productive and efficient, scoring 19 points on 7-for-14 shooting, pulling down 15 rebounds, dishing out eight assists and snatching four steals. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much in the way of support, as only Embiid (23 points, 10 rebounds, and in a less-savory note, five turnovers) and J.J. Redick (16 points) provided significant statistical outputs.

On the other end, Tatum was the big story, scoring 23 points and grabbing nine rebounds to lead the way and mitigate the struggles of Irving (2-for-14 shooting) on a big stage. The Celtics also received a typically steady showing from Al Horford and a strong bench performance from Terry Rozier, but on a night when neither Irving mor Gordon Hayward (who looked unsurprisingly rusty) had much in the tank, the Celtics were able to hold serve with a solid, across-the-board victory.

In the grand scheme, one result won’t change all that much in the Eastern Conference landscape but, in contrast, it certainly won’t prevent anyone from projecting big things for the Celtics.