Celtics-Sixers: Boston Can Respect Philadelphia While Losing to Them

After a close, shoddy, grotesque game, the Sixers emerged victorious over the Celtics, evening the series at 1-1. In the aftermath, Charles Barkley declared that Boston must not have "respected" its younger opponent on TNT's Inside the NBA. On ESPN's NBA Today podcast, Bruce Bowen echoed that sentiment: "You have a team that didn't necessarily respect the Philadelphia 76ers and looked ahead a little bit." 

Let's get one thing straight: These are statistically, quite evenly-matched opponents. The Sixers have a worse record, but a better differential (+4.2 to +2.5). They have the third-best defense and perimeter defenders well-suited to handling the Celtics' outside-shooting attack. 

You might favor Boston in this series for a myriad of reasons. Maybe it's that they have more experience, home-court advantage and a better coach—it's an understandable pick. But given the regular-season production and the matchups, Boston could easily lose this battle for reasons other than arrogance. It's not 2010 anymore; if it were, we wouldn't be fresh off an evening where the Thunder gleefully stomped the once mighty Lakers like bubble wrap. Old teams get worse; young teams come up.