NBA Playoffs 2012: Will the Aging Celtics Prevail over the Youthful 76ers?

The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers both won thrilling games Thursday night to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Eighth-seeded Philadelphia edged the No. 1 seed Chicago Bulls 79-78 to win their first-round series 4-2.

Andre Iguodala made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to give the 76ers the lead. Philadelphia got the opportunity after Chicago point guard C.J. Watson made a poor decision passing the ball to a cutting Omer Asik. Asik missed the two free throws. Watson, an 80 percent free-throw shooter, should have never passed the ball to Asik, a 45 percent shooter from the line.

That gave the 76ers the opportunity to win.

The Celtics also won their series, 4-2, edging the Atlanta Hawks 83-80 behind 28 points and 14 rebounds from a resurgent Kevin Garnett.

Now it's the "old" Celtics against the "young" 76ers in the next round. How is that going to turn out?

Read on for a sneak peek.

Boston Has Home-Court Advantage

Boston has home-court advantage, and based on history, that's a big point of leverage for them. Boston is now 7-1 in their last eight close-out games at home.

In the playoffs, home-court advantage for Boston is generally a very good thing.

Advantage: Give the Celtics a big advantage here.

76ers Won Season Series

Boston and Philadelphia played each other three times during the regular season, all of them fairly late in the year.

In their first game on March 7th, the 76ers routed the Celtics 103-71 in Philadelphia. Evan Turner had one of his better games of the years with 26 points and nine rebounds. Boston couldn't get anything going offensively, shooting 35 percent from the field and 0-for-8 on three-pointers. Ray Allen was limited to two points. The 76ers killed Boston on the glass, out-rebounding them 54-35.

In their second game, also in Philadelphia, on March 23rd, the 76ers prevailed 99-86. Philadelphia out-scored Boston by 20 points in the third quarter and continued their domination of the boards, this time by 46-35, including a 14-3 margin off the offensive glass.

Boston won the third game, at home on April 8th, 103-79. Boston had five players in double-figures and shot very well (59 percent) while battling the 76ers fairly evenly on the boards.

Advantage: The 76ers won the head-to-head matchup, two games to one, so they have the advantage here.

Boston Is a Very Poor Offensive Rebounding Team

Boston needs to shoot very well in this series to win it. The Celtics are a fairly decent defensive-rebounding team, but are one of the worst offensive-rebounding teams in the league.

In the three games against the 76ers during the regular season, the 76ers out-rebounded the Celtics by an average 10.7 margin per game. The margin was more pronounced on the offensive glass, where Philadelphia pulled down 40 offensive boards in the three games to 11 for Boston.

The Celtics won their only game against the 76ers on the strength of their shooting. In that game, they only managed to pull down one offensive rebound.

Advantage: 76ers.

Are the Celtics the Better Shooting Team?

With Ray Allen and Paul Pierce hitting three's you would think the Celtics are the better shooting team. However, surprisingly, the statistics are fairly even.

In the regular season, Boston shot 46 percent from the floor compared to 44.8 percent for the 76ers. The Celtics made 5.5 three-pointers per game vs. 5.3 for the 76ers. Three-point shooting percentage was fairly even at 36.7 percent for Boston and 36.2 percent for Philadelphia. Boston has a 77.8 percent to 74.2 percent edge from the charity stripe.

Advantage: Give Boston an edge here, but a very small one.

The Hot Team Is Boston

The Celtics overtook Philadelphia during the second half of the season to win their division. The 76ers were 25-17 on March 11th; from that point they had a 10-14 record the rest of the season as they slipped down the standings.

Boston was 17-17 at the end of February. In the final two months of the season, they sprinted to a 22-10 finish.

Doc Rivers brought Boston along slowly this year, dealt with injuries to key players and rested his older players whenever he could. Boston is peaking at the right time.

Advantage: Boston.

Kevin Garnett Is Rejuvenated

Kevin Garnett has not played this well for the past several years. Ever since he started playing most of his minutes at center, Garnett has returned to his old form.

He came through with an amazing performance in Game 6 against the Hawks, with 28 points and 14 rebounds. He averaged 18 points, 10.5 rebounds and over 38 minutes a game in the first-round series.

Defensively, he's been outstanding, coming up with five blocked shots and three steals in the deciding Game 6. When Garnett is playing at this level, it's a huge advantage for Boston.

Experience

The further a team gets into the NBA playoffs, the more important experience is. If there is one thing the Celtics have, it's superior experience. When the game is on the line the ability to depend on a Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce or Ray Allen is huge. They all been there before on numerous occasions. The 76ers are just too young, with limited experience in tough, tight playoff situations.

Advantage: Another big check mark for Boston. Look for the Celtics to prevail in five or six games.

The Eastern Conference finals will be the tough series for Boston.