Getty Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers officially have their next playoff opponent lined up. With the Boston Celtics finishing off the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, the division rivals will meet up in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
With the series set in stone, former Sixers legend Charles Barkley had some harsh words for the Sixers as they start this new series against the Celtics. While starting off by saying that Joel Embiid will dominate, Barkley said the Sixers’ best players around the perimeter will have to step up defensively.
“It’s going to come down to the perimeter players,” Barkley said, per NBA on TNT’s YouTube Channel. “Joel’s gonna do what he does. He’s probably going to win MVP, deservedly so…but, it’s gonna come down to Tobias Harris, (Tyrese) Maxey, and James Harden. Those three guys gonna have to play. A couple of them defensively…Who are they gonna put on Tatum? Who are they gonna put on Brown?”
Barkley said that the Sixers’ main issue is that they don’t have anyone who can cover Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, and the Celtics have guys who can match up with them.
“That’s gonna be the problem for my Sixers. First of all, you can’t guard those guys. I like Tobias Harris. He’s not gonna stop either one of those guys, but they don’t have a matchup for the other guy. That’s the problem they got. I think James is going to have a tough time with Marcus Smart because he’s not getting by people anymore…He’s shooting stepback threes.”
Game 1 between the Celtics and Sixers will take place on May 1.
Tyrese Maxey Explains Poor Play Against Celtics
Before the Celtics wrapped up their series against the Hawks, Maxey explained why he played so poorly against the Sixers’ division rival and what his mindset is when he plays against the Celtics.
“The.. two games in the middle of the season that was kind of mental stuff,” he told reporters, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “That last game, I think I hurt my back messing with [P.J. Tucker] getting a rebound.
“But I mean, the ultimate goal, it’s not about me. It’s about winning. So it’s like what can we do to stop either Atlanta or Boston as many times as we can, so at the end of the game when there’s zeroes across the board have more points that they do.”
In four games against the Celtics, Maxey averaged 10 points a game while shooting 35.4% from the field and 21.4% from three.
Charles Barkley Sounds Off on Tyrese Maxey
After the Sixers completed their sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, Barkley singled out Maxey for how talented he is as a young player as the analysts on NBA on TNT recapped the series-clinching victory.
“I’ll tell you what. We’re going to have the pleasure of watching Tyrese Maxey for the next 10 to 15 years in Philly. I love that kid,” Barkley said on NBA on TNT, per the House of Highlights YouTube Channel.
Four games into the playoffs, Maxey is averaging 21.8 points and five rebounds while shooting 47.1% from the field and 50% from three.