The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers engaged in a second-round series that was way closer than the 4-1 margin would indicate. Boston performed better with the games on the line, though, and deservedly advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals to square off with LeBron James and the Cavs. The Celtics advanced with a 114-112 win at TD Garden Wednesday.
The young Celtics are looking good, but you have to feel great about the Sixers' future, too. Though Philly relied on some veterans down the stretch, it's no secret the Sixers' key pieces are Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons—both of whom are still NBA youngsters. Embiid just turned 24, and Simmons is only 21.
They're way better than anyone expected them to be at this stage of their careers. After the loss, Simmons remained bullish on the young stars' future.
"At the end of the game (Simmons) came up to me and showed me his hands and was like, 'There’s gonna be a lot of rings on these,'" Embiid divulged. "I was like, 'For sure.'"
Sixers' Joel Embiid: "Me & Ben have a lot of room to grow. Looking at KD and Westbrook, what they did the first season together, I think they won 28 games... We have a bright future. [Simmons] came up to me, showed me his hands, and said there's going to be a lot of rings." pic.twitter.com/d25qN254Ru
Simmons had 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in the loss. Embiid posted 27 points and 12 rebounds. The scary thing is: they're still blossoming.
"Me and Ben, we have a lot of room to grow," Embiid said. "I was thinking about it, just looking at (Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook), what they did their first season together. I think they only won like 28 games or something like that. Looking at what we did, we've got a bright future."
No one would argue with that statement, especially considering Markelle Fultz hasn't even begun to develop into the star he could become. Philly has its first-round pick this season, and it could likely land the Lakers' pick as well. If that pick lands between Nos. 2-5, Boston gets it. The Lakers have the 10th-best odds of landing the top pick.
