The Boston Celtics set the tone for the first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers with a dominant 123-91 win in Game 1 on Sunday.
The Celtics led the entire way and never allowed the Sixers in the game on their way to a 32-point blowout victory. Considering that the Detroit Pistons suffered a disappointing home loss in their playoff opener yesterday, the Celtics may have firmly established themselves as the Eastern Conference favorites.
That doesn't mean, however, that the Celtics don't have their issues. In fact, their biggest weakness was on full display on Sunday.
The center position was the biggest question for the Celtics heading into the postseason. With that in mind, the Celtics had acquired Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline to build a three-headed center rotation of Vucevic, Luka Garza, and Neemias Queta.
In their first playoff game together, all three big men struggled, raising eyebrows about the Celtics' center rotation.
Celtics Still Have a Center Problem Despite Blowout Game 1 Win
Queta made the most of his opportunities, but he was limited to 15 minutes because of foul trouble. Picking up three quick fouls in the first half, Queta didn't stay on the court for too long, meaning that Vucevic and Garza saw extended runs.
Similar to Queta, Vucevic also dealt with foul trouble, picking up four fouls in 17 minutes. His first playoff game as a Celtic went as expected. He hit a three, kept the ball moving, and had good passes. He also bobbled an easy pass inside, causing him to miss a wide-open dunk, and committed two turnovers. He finished with three points on 1-of-3 shooting. The 76ers weren't able to exploit his defensive shortcomings, but his offensive struggles were enough to raise concerns in Boston.
Garza had a very Garza-esque game. He was active on the boards, caused trouble to the Sixers' defense with his physicality, and didn't shy away from bombing from three. The Celtics won the 14 minutes he was on the court by five points.
These three performances didn't presumably change how the coaching staff and fans perceive the center rotation. There will be a continued search to find a solution there throughout the playoffs. If Queta struggles to stay on the court because of foul trouble, this concern could grow to be a larger issue than it already is.
Would head coach Joe Mazzulla turn to alternate solutions like Jayson Tatum or Jordan Walsh at center? The 76ers sans Joel Embiid could be as good an opponent to try those lineups as any, but do the Celtics want to put Tatum through that when he just returned from an Achilles tear?
These are fascinating questions that the Celtics must answer. They are off to a great start to the postseason, but the center problem isn't going anywhere and could hurt their long-term aspirations if it isn't solved soon.
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