The 76'ers win over the Celtics tells us that the rivalry is alive. Joel Embiid and Company took over the top spot in the Eastern Conference, and here is what The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey, had to say about the two teams.
The Celtics have All-NBA wing players in Jayson Tatum and Brown. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday may be the best backcourt in the NBA. Porziņģis has played well, scoring a team-high 29 points on Wednesday. He’ll stretch the floor, forcing opposing centers to cover him away from the basket. That creates space to drive for Tatum and Brown.
Boston’s starting five is better, but it doesn’t have a deep bench. That’s something the Celtics may need to address during the course of the season.
“I don’t think [this win] is a certain message to us,” (Patrick) Beverley said. “We know exactly who we are. We compete every day. We are deep as [crap]. We are really deep. We know what we have. We’re really deep. So we know what we have.
The season is merely 8.5% complete, but I find it interesting how highly Pompey regards the backcourt duo of White and Holiday. I agree with that.
But it is becoming increasingly apparent that more work is needed for Boston to build depth. The James Harden trade brought over Robert Covington, Marcus Morris, KJ Martin, and Nicolas Batum, so - yes - the Celtics starting-5 may top Philly's quintet, but the 76'ers bench gets the nod.
Handling the 7'2", 280-lb Embiid is a major issue for Joe Mazzulla to figure out. And Tyrese Maxey is quick, athletic and tough to cover in his own right.
I, for one, did not view the 76'ers ranked number-1 in the East. But did I mention the season is young?
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