In Game 1, sure there was rust on the Philadelphia 76ers‘ performance after a six-game layoff. But there was also another factor that caught the Sixers off guard, pardon the pun, and tilted the advantage to the Celtics: Speed. Boston’s guards, Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart, are faster and quicker than Ben Simmons and J.J. Redick. And their speed killed the Sixers in Game 1.
That needs to change in Game 2.
I’ll give a memorable example in Sixers’ history that illustrates this point. In the Philadelphia 76ers championship run of 2001 they faced a heavily-favored Los Angeles Lakers team featuring Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.