NBA Analyst Explains Why 76ers Don't Stand A Chance Vs. Celtics originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers begin their first-round playoff matchup on Sunday, and most NBA analysts are picking the Celtics to win.That includes "Hoops Tonight" host Jason Timpf, who's predicting Boston to take the series in five games and continue its recent postseason dominance against the 76ers."I think Boston wins relatively easily.

I'm gonna pick the Celtics in five games," Timpf said on his podcast this week. "The Celtics, on one hand, are just a better, more talented team. But the way they match up against each other, trying to score against each other, is where the bad matchup really shows up."“It’s just gonna be really difficult for them to keep up with the shot quality dynamic.”@_JasonLT makes his prediction for 76ers-Celtics pic.twitter.com/7qECKmPcde— Hoops Tonight (@hoopstonite) April 17, 2026"Philly is a good pick-and-roll scoring team, but not a great one," Timpf continued.

"And it's just gonna be really hard to compete with the quality spot-up opportunities Boston is gonna generate on the other end of the floor."The sportsbooks agree with Timpf, heavily favoring the two-seed Celtics in Game 1 and the series. The seven-seed 76ers are less talented and undermanned, especially without Joel Embiid to start the series.Philadelphia might be able to steal a game or two, but Boston's deeper, more experienced and superior roster should prevail. The Celtics had a better offensive rating, defensive rating and net rating during the regular season, plus they're better at scoring more efficiently via 3-pointers and open looks."It's just gonna be really difficult for (the Sixers) to keep up with the shot quality dynamic that's gonna plague them over the course of the series," Timpf concluded.More NBA: Recent Eastern Conference Playoffs Trend Spells Bad News For 76ers Vs. Celtics