LONDON – Here are my key takeaways and “best” and “worst” awards from the 76ers’ 114-103 loss to the Boston Celtics Thursday afternoon at The O2 Arena.
Five observations
— The Sixers are still a ways away from contending for an NBA title. That was obvious against Celtics Thursday, and has been obvious against the league’s other elite teams. Right now, the ceiling for this team is nabbing a playoff berth. However, don’t count on them winning a first-round series against the Celtics, Toronto Raptors or Cleveland Cavaliers, the teams expected to nab the Eastern Conference’s top three seeds in no particular order.