In most articles before this series and pretty much every one after the first game the narrative has been the same - the 76ers young players are going to have to learn how to win against the experienced Boston squad. It's like they're setting up the 76ers with an excuse in case they lose.
Except the whole narrative is ... entirely false.
I'm not taking away the 76ers fine year and turnaround. Brown has done a great job this year and should be 2nd or 3rd in Coach of the Year (behind Brad, who should run away with it). But the 76ers are actually the more experienced squad, not the Celtics. The teams' average age is almost identical - literally within a few days of each other. The 76ers put a far more experienced team on the floor this year on average (look it up, folks). During the regular season the 76ers top 4 guys in minutes played were 21, 27, 23 and 33. The Celtics were 19, 31, 21 and 23.
The 76ers started the game with 21 year old Ben Simmons, 24y Embiid, 33y Reddick, 24y Saric and 27y Covington. The top two guys coming off the bench were 32 and 30.
If not for a last minute scratch, the Celtics would have started Game 1 with 20 year old Jayson Tatum, 21y Brown, 24y Rozier, 31y Baynes and 31y Horford. The top two guys coming off the bench were 28 and 23. Even if you replace 21y Brown with 24y Smart it doesn't change much. This Celtics squad is just as young, if not younger, than the 76ers. Yet no one is making excuses for them.
This points to two things:
(1) Many sportswriters and sportscasters are lazy, ignorant morons.
(2) Really makes you appreciate how the entire organization doesn't concentrate on making excuses but sets the same expectation of maturity, professionalism and the goal to win regardless of the experience and/or age of the player on the floor. That starts with Brad and Danny and is reinforced through guys like Horford and Smart so that even our young guys know what a true professional is and does.
Topic: Tired of the Philly-Bos Narrative Already (Read 835 times)