3 Things the Philadelphia 76ers Must Do to Beat the Boston Celtics

Philadelphia survived Chicago, and now their next opponent is Boston.

When Derrick Rose went down, the 76ers capitalized and seized the opportunity they had. They won four out of five games (including a 1-point Game 6 win) and now, it's Philly against Boston for a berth to the ECF.

Boston beat Atlanta in six games, winning three of the games by 7 points or less. Both teams struggled in the first round, but came through in the clutch (although Boston lost Game 5 by one point).

The 76ers won two of three regular season games, but Boston has home-court advantage in the playoffs. It should make for a good series, one that could take six or seven games. Both teams can definitely win and advance to the conference finals against Indiana or Miami.

Here are three things Philadelphia must do to beat Boston. 

Play Solid Defense

Philadelphia only shot 40+ percent once in six games against Chicago. So how did they beat the Bulls?

Defense.

In Games 3-6, Chicago shot approximately 39.1 percent, and they came up empty in the clutch, whether it was at the line, from downtown, or a jumper. Philadelphia came up with three close wins and the series victory.

However, Chicago dominated the glass. The Bulls hogged the boards in Game 6, out-rebounding Philly 58-33. Chicago grabbed 15 offensive boards, while the 76ers only got five. The Celtics, however, are the NBA's worst rebounding team.

Spencer Hawes and Evan Turner will have big opportunities to shine at rebounding and starting fast breaks. If the 76ers can control the boards, they will have a huge advantage they didn't have against Chicago.

The Celtics are a good shooting team, so playing defense up close and contesting every shot will be huge for the 76ers. As long as Philadelphia keeps the same mentality they had against Chicago and they execute, it should be fine. 

And if the Sixers wear out the Celtics early, they'll have it easy on defense late in the game.

Perform in the Clutch

This shouldn't be much of a problem for the 76ers, because they were great in the clutch against Chicago.

Philadelphia won their three home games all because of clutch play late in the game. In Game 3, Spencer Hawes hit a huge jumper and Evan Turner was money from the charity stripe. In Game 4, Jrue Holiday hit two huge threes to lift Philly to victory. In Game 6, Andre Iguodala hit two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to give Philadelphia the win.

Nobody is afraid of taking the big shots on the 76ers, and that's why they are so good. The team gels well together, and even if someone wants to be the hero, they'll pass up a shot if someone else has a better scoring opportunity.

That's the kind of play that has the 76ers where they are right now.

Defense will be huge in the clutch as well. Going for every loose ball, rebound, and shot will be important for the 76ers, because Boston has some fantastic shooters. 

However, as long as Philadelphia brings the same late-game mentality they did to the Bulls' series, they'll do what they need to do in the clutch.

Control the Tempo

Philadelphia won Game 2 because they controlled the tempo. They'll beat Boston if they control the tempo too.

Boston's stars are older now (except for Rajon Rondo) and they aren't able to bring the hustle they used to bring. If Philadelphia can wear out Boston early, they'll be able to control the tempo in the second half and roll over Boston.

The 76ers are a young team, and they can roll over teams like that.

In Game 2 against Chicago, Philly scored 25 fast break points. In the second half, Philadelphia's tough defense wore out the Bulls. Whenever a 76er grabbed a rebound or recorded a steal, a fast break would start.

That's how the 76ers scored 14 fast break points in the third quarter.

Boston has a very limited bench, so wearing out Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen and forcing the bench to come in would be very helpful for the 76ers. If that happens, expect Philadelphia to dominate—

And to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.