Celtics minus 11 hosting 76ers
The 76ers opened last season with 17 straight losses. They could exceed that figure this season. Yep, the 76ers are that bad again. Worse, the 76ers are already in tank mode.
Philadelphia coach Brett Brown all but admitted his top early priority isn’t game planning, but getting his young team to study and learn more. Nobody in the 76ers’ rotation is older than 24.
The 76ers are one of the most banged-up teams in the NBA. They could have just nine healthy bodies depending on the status of Nik Stauskas, who is a game-time decision.
Out are Robert Covington and Tony Wroten – two of Philadelphia’s four best players – along with Kendall Marshall and Carl Landry. Joel Embiid is sidelined indefinitely, too. Stauskas, a shooting guard, would be rusty even if he plays having missed preseason.
Having that many players out would be rough on any team, but it’s especially bad for the 76ers, whose bench is one of the least talented in the league.
The Celtics are well-coached. They also play hard for Brad Stevens. They aren’t going to take the 76ers lightly with their next two games being at home against Toronto on Friday and San Antonio on Sunday.
The Celtics swept the 76ers last season winning four games by an average of 14.7 points. All of the victories were by 11 or more points.
Boston should be improved even more this season. The Celtics have more experience, too, with the additions of big men David Lee and Amir Johnson.
The Celtics also have greatly upgraded their depth. They are one of the deepest teams in the NBA with many of their starters interchangeable from their bench players. So the 76ers always will be at a disadvantage even during garbage time.
The Celtics won all but one of their preseason games. They ranked No. 2 in efficiency. The 76ers were 28th in efficiency during preseason. The two teams met this past Friday in Manchester, N.H. and the Celtics won, 81-65.
