Moments after the Sixers had filed into the locker room following the dramatic, last-second series-clinching victory over the Bulls in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference first round, head coach Doug Collins asked veterans Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala if they had anything they wanted to say to the team.
Of course they did.
But rather than talk about the victory over the Bulls that sent the Sixers into the second round for the first time in nine years, Iguodala and Brand wanted to talk about the Celtics.
Lets be ready. We have to turn it up a notch, Iguodala told his teammates in the locker room after Game 6. Boston aint no joke.
We have to get bettereverybody, Brand said. We know what we have to do for the next round.
It wont be easy, thats for sure. Hardened by deep runs into the postseason and playoff battles every year since winning the title in 2008, Boston has the playoff savvy and experience the Sixers are lacking. But not unlike the Bulls, whose injuries to MVP Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah opened the door for the Sixers in the first round, the Celtics have some banged up players as well.
Paul Pierce, the Celtics top scorer is playing with a sprained medial collateral ligament, while top shooter Ray Allen missed two games during the first round with an injured ankle. The Celtics also missed Rajon Rondo for a suspension in the series against Atlanta.
But there also is Kevin Garnett, the Celtics aging center, who played like a kid against the Hawks in the first round. Garnett scored 28 points and had 14 rebounds in Bostons clincher on Thursday night and is averaging a double-double through the first six games of the playoffs.
So how to the Sixers and Celtics stack up and what must the Sixers do to win? Lets take a look:
Run, run and runWhen the Sixers got the fast break going in the Game 2 victory against the Bulls, they looked like a different team. Mostly, the Sixers displayed some semblance of offense in that game and it all came because they were able to run.
But after shooting 59 percent to score 109 points in Game 2, the Sixers have gone four straight games without cracking 40 percent shooting from the field. Since 1986, only three teams in playoff history have had longer streaks of shooting below 40 percent than the Sixers.
Moreover, with an average age of 24.9, the Sixers are the youngest team in the playoffs. The Celtics are the third-oldest team in the NBA and if the Lakers lose Game 7, the Celtics will be the oldest team remaining in the playoffs. Certainly with a quick turnaround, the Sixers want to use their youth as an advantage.
Well, at least we dont have to travel, we can look at it that way, said Celtics coach Doc Rivers after the victory in Game 6. Thats not the greatest team to pick to play. Theyve got a bunch of gazelles coming in here. They only beat us by 1,000 in two of our three games.
Stop RondoThere are few players in the NBA who can fill that stat sheet like Rajon Rondo. Headed into Thursdays Game 6, Rondo had a 24-game streak in which he dished out at least 10 assists. He also has seven postseason triple-doubles, including one in Game 2 against the Hawks.
With Iguodala set to guard Pierce, point guard Jrue Holiday likely will be matched up with Rondo. Against the Bulls Holiday guarded Derrick Rose, Rip Hamilton and C.J. Watson, but will have his hands full in this series against Rondo, so expect some traps and doubles on the perimeter in attempt to slow the point guard a bit.
Win in the paintUnlike the Bulls, the Celtics are not the dominant team on the boards. In fact, the Celtics ranked last in the NBA in rebounding and were not much of a threat on the offensive glass. However, to offset the poor rebounding stats, the Celtics held the opposition to the lowest shooting percentage in the league and were fifth in the league in shooting.
Keep getting to the lineWhen the Sixers shooting percentage plummeted against the Bulls, the Sixers figured out how to score by getting to the foul line. The interesting part about this is the Sixers attempted 30 foul shots in a game during the regular season just four times, but they did it three times against the Bulls in six games. If the Sixers can get out and run, the foul shots should be there even if the baskets are not.
DefenseThe Bulls, Celtics and Sixers ranked one, two and three in points allowed in the NBA this season. So even though the Celtics dont rebound as well as Bulls or Sixers, they can defend. Garnett, of course, is the linchpin to the defense, but the Celtics come in waves with Rivers using nine to 10 players in each of the playoff games.
In the meantime, neither the Sixers nor Celtics have much time to prepare after the last-second victory in Game 6 on Thursday. The teams were hoping for a couple extra days off, but TV beckons
Well be prepared, Collins said. But it is going to be a quick turnaround and Boston is playing their best basketball right now. Theyll present an entirely different challenge to us.
E-mail John R. Finger jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com.