There was no surprise with who Brad Stevens started in last night’s opener. Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, and Al Horford is the most potent, versatile lineup the Celtics can start with because of their size and the fact that everybody can get their own shot. They’ll pose problems all year to opposing defense, particularly for Philadelphia.
The Celtics had only 21 assists against a good defensive team; the Sixers were third in defensive rating last year at 103.8. They shot poorly from the field (43.