Why the Boston Celtics Will Beat the Philadelphia 76ers

After two hard-fought, high-intensity series, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are moving on as they each won their first round matchups in six games. Now, the longtime rivals will be facing each other in round two, a series that kicks off on Saturday at 8 PM EST.

So, what are the keys to this series and who will win? Let's break it down for both teams.

BOSTON CELTICS

Key player: Kevin Garnett. Garnett put forth a masterful performance in Boston's decisive Game 6 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night, pouring in 28 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks, and three steals. It was like a flashback to 2004 when Garnett won the MVP, was the best player on the floor every night, and routinely put up those types of stat lines. Of course, no one expects K.G. to post those types of numbers every game anymore, but he can still do it, and that will be the biggest difference in this series.

Garnett is the key simply because Philadelphia has absolutely no one that can hold him in check. Thaddeus Young can't do it. He just isn't strong enough. Elton Brand can't either as he cannot contend with the length of Garnett. Spencer Hawes? Well, if the 76ers are going to rely on him to thwart K.G., then they shouldn't even bother showing up for Game 1.

I fully expect Garnett to be dominant in this series. I'm not saying he is going to record 28 and 14 every game, but if he averages 20 and 12, I would not be the least bit surprised. He is extremely focused and looks to be in his best shape since before he went down with a knee injury in 2009.

What the Celtics must do: Pound the ball into K.G. and control the tempo. It's that simple. If Boston can dominate the paint and keep Philadelphia out of transition, it will have absolutely no problem winning this series and making it a short series at that. Also, even if Garnett isn't scoring the ball in the post, he is going to attract double teams which will open up Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and the rest of the C's for potentially easy buckets. If Boston sticks to this formula, it will be headed to the Eastern Conference Finals.

What the Celtics must NOT do: Turn the ball over. I think this one is pretty obvious as the Sixers feed off scoring points off of fastbreaks, and how do you prevent fastbreaks? Hold on to to the basketball. Pierce can't be tossing the kinds of lazy passes he was in Game 6 against Atlanta, and Rajon Rondo cannot be sloppy with the ball because he is trying to be too fancy. Just go out there and do your job.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Key player: Andre Iguodala. Because Philadelphia is not going to be able to stop Garnett from getting his, it will at least need to limit Pierce. Iguodala is one of the best in the league at making the lives of wing players difficult out on the perimeter. Pierce is already banged up as it is as he is playing with a sprained MCL. It is a must for Iguodala to take Pierce out of the game, because if Pierce goes off along with K.G., this series is going to get ugly. Fast.

What the 76ers must do: The opposite of what Boston must not do: force turnovers and get out on the break. I think it is also important for the 76ers to have someone leak out on defensive rebounds for an outlet pass. The only way Philly stands a chance in this series is if it consistently scores in transition as it just does not have the kind of halfcourt offense that can give teams fits in the postseason. Of course, scoring in transition is tough to do against the Celtics in the playoffs. The Hawks are a fairly solid fastbreak team, and they did not see many opportunities to take advantage of that against Boston.

What the 76ers must NOT do: Allow the C's to get into their halfcourt set for the majority of the game. Boston can run, but where it really excels is when it can slow the game down and run misdirections for Pierce, hit K.G. in the post where he can either score or run give-and-gos with Rondo or Avery Bradley, and run Allen off of screens to open him up for three-pointers.

The Celtics' offense is a thing of beauty when it is running smoothly. I am going to emphasize that last part of the sentence though: when it is running smoothly. Boston is prone to droughts, and that tends to happen when it doesn't impose its will on opponents and allows younger, more athletic teams to control the pace. As I said earlier: the only way Philadelphia can make this series truly competitive is if it forces the Celts to run on both ends.

PREDICTION

I'm sorry, but I just do not see the 76ers posing that much of a problem for Boston in a seven game series. They are not the Hawks. They do not have the kind of bigs (a la Josh Smith and Al Horford) that can give the Celtics fits on the offensive glass and block and alter shots down low. Again, I think Garnett is going to have a monster series.

Also, Pierce's postgame interview after Boston's closeout win over Atlanta was very telling. He said, "This is it. This is it. This is it." He and the rest of the C's know that this is probably their last opportunity, and they are more focused than ever because of that. There is no way they are going to allow Philadelphia to stand in their way of hanging another banner in TD Banknorth Garden.

Doug Collins has done an admirable job with this Sixers team, but I think they are getting a bit too much credit for beating a Chicago Bulls team that was missing its two best players. Philly is certainly a solid squad, but it is not going to beat Boston.

Celtics in five.