The Boston Celtics may’ve retained all of their key items from final season’s championship-winning roster, nevertheless, others within the Jap Convention, too, acquired busy this offseason, together with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Philadelphia signed eight-time All-Star Paul George to a four-year, $211 million contract in free company and retained guard Tyrese Maxey on a five-year, $203 million extension. To additional encompass franchise star Joel Embiid with supplemental items, the 76ers additionally agreed to a one-year take care of Kyle Lowry and added 17-year veteran Eric Gordon on a veteran minimal contract — making Philadelphia’s entrance workplace (very) assured.
“We’re proper there within the dialog with a really small variety of groups — high three, high 4, high two within the league, someplace in there,” Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey instructed 97.5 The Fanatic. “Clearly, you gotta give the Celtics their credit score. They received the title. They’re a wonderful group. They introduced all people again. They’re the goal, however we don’t really feel like we surrender something to them, and we’re gonna be coming to take the title away from them.”
Whereas daring and assured, the fact is that Embiid, a seven-time All-Star and 2023 league MVP, hasn’t discovered the cheat code for defeating the Celtics within the postseason. In reality, Boston’s dangled the bragging rights of going 3-0 in opposition to Embiid in playoff collection all through everything of the 30-year-old’s profession. Most just lately in 2023, underneath then-head coach Doc Rivers, Philadelphia blew a 3-2 collection lead over the Celtics within the semifinals after Jayson Tatum dropped a record-setting 51-point grasp class in Recreation 7. However, even with (current) historical past being closely in favor of Boston, Embiid, too, spoke up in opposition to the reigning NBA Finals champions — albeit in a extra petty method than Morrey.
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“If I’m going 5-for-20, we get blown out,” Embiid stated on the “Verify Ball Present” — firing a direct shot towards Tatum.
Regardless, it’ll take greater than allotting verbal jabs and George’s 53-61 playoff document for the 76ers to overhaul the Celtics within the East. Boston racked up a league-leading 64 wins within the common season and with out Kristaps Porzingis — the group’s third scoring choice — for many of the postseason, the Celtics went 16-3 earlier than seizing Banner 18. Boston wasn’t simply the highest canine within the East. The Celtics had been, by far, the greatest group within the NBA from begin to end, courting again to when Boston ripped the convention’s No. 1 seed from the palms of Philadelphia on Nov. 14 and by no means surrendered it.
