Celtics v 76ers – Round 2 NBA Playoffs 2023

So, the Celtics v 76ers will meet in Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs. After the Celtics beat the Hawks in Atlanta last night; the second round is ready to begin.

Celtics v 76ers

In Round 1, the Philadelphia 76ers swept the Brooklyn Nets without their star player, Joel Embid. However, the Celtics series lasted for 6 games. They beat the Hawks in Game 6. Check out my Celtics v Hawks to Meet in First Round 2023 post to learn more about this series.

In fact, many Sports Analysts thought the Celtics would have an easy time against the Hawks. But that wasn’t the case. Surprisingly, the Hawks offense put up a lot of points against the Celtics defense.

In the end, the Celtics were able to finish the Hawks off.

Celtics v 76ers – Round 2 Schedule

Because the Celtics are the Number 2 seed; they will host Games 1, 2, 5, and 7. And, the 76ers are the Number 3 seed; they will host Games 3, 4, and 6 in Philadelphia.

In the best of 7 Games, the schedule for Round 2 is as follows.

• Monday, May 1st – Game 1 – Philadelphia in Boston – 7:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 3rd – Game 2 – Philadelphia in Boston – 8:00 p.m.
• Friday, May 5th – Game 3 – Boston in Philadelphia – 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, May 7th – Game 4 – Boston in Philadelphia – 3:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 9th – Game 5 – Philadelphia in Boston – if necessary
• Thursday, May 11th – Game 6 – Boston in Philadelphia – if necessary
• Sunday, May 14th – Game 7 – Philadelphia in Boston – if necessary

Finally, any of the schedules are subject to change.

Difference Maker

Since it is questionable if the 76ers star player, Joel Embid will play; the Celtics may get lucky. Embid sprained his right knee on April 20th. So, the initial reports were Embid would be out for approximately 2 weeks. With the Second Round beginning on May 1st, he may return in this series. Even if he returns to make this a good series; it is highly doubtful they can win against the Celtics.

Although the Celtics didn’t play well in their series against the Hawks; they are the big favorites to win this series when the betting market opened this morning.

Can the Celtics players stay locked in? Unfortunately, this year the team’s MO has been up and down all year. In fact, they have played poorly against bad teams and they have put on great performances with better-ranked teams.

Hopefully, they will continue their dominance against the 76ers. During the regular season, the Celtics beat the 76ers 3 times in the 4 games they played.

Indeed, this division rivalry has been around for many decades. Moreover, in their prior playoff matchups; the Celtics have beaten the 76ers in 5 consecutive series including in 2020 when they swept the 76ers.

Though the Celtics have easily won in prior matchups; this is a new series. Of course, anything can happen! For instance, many were surprised that the No. 1 seed, the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated in 5 games against the No. 8 seed, the Miami Heat.

Who Will Win

So, even if Embid is able to play in this series; chances are he will likely be wearing a knee brace and he will not be at his MVP level.

Who do you think will win?

Because the Celtics were the favorites before the season started, I am hopeful they can continue their dominance against the 76ers. In addition, they have a homecourt advantage which could be a factor in this matchup.

Since the Bucks lost in the first round; anything can happen. After all, it is the playoffs with emotions running high and there are many great players and coaches.

Of course, this will be some fun basketball to watch!

So, as long as the Celtics can have a good team performance; they should be able to win Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs.

As always, I welcome your comments on the Celtics v 76ers round 2. Will you be watching this series? Indeed I know I will be up late throughout this series.