Celtics vs. Sixers NBA playoff preview: How will Jayson Tatum perform in postseason return?

Atlantic76ersCelticsKnicksNetsRaptorsCentralBucksBullsCavaliersPacersPistonsSoutheastHawksHeatHornetsMagicWizardsSouthwestGrizzliesMavericksPelicansRocketsSpursNorthwestJazzNuggetsThunderTimberwolvesTrail BlazersPacificClippersKingsLakersSunsWarriorsScores & ScheduleStandingsThe Bounce NewsletterNBA DraftPodcastsFantasyNBA OddsNBA PicksWhat To Know About The First RoundLatest Power RankingsThe Bucks' Season From HellPlayer Poll: Who Will Win Title?NBA Season Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles in the second round of last season's playoffs, but he's ready to go again. Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Share articleJaylen Brown enjoyed the NBA’s first batch of Play-In games Tuesday night. He took in the intensity of the environment. He tried to learn from the mistakes made by all the teams involved. “All of that stuff is good,” Brown said. “There’s going to be some good basketball all playoffs. I’m looking forward to the first round. Looking forward to our matchup. We gotta be ready to go.” At the time, Brown didn’t know who the Celtics would play in the first round of the playoffs. He found out their opponent on Wednesday night when the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic to secure the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and set up a meeting with Boston. Here are some key questions surrounding the series, which is set to begin Sunday afternoon. Jay King: Can the Celtics punctuate their fairy tale season? They have already turned themselves into contenders during what some expected to be a “gap year.” Just about everything has gone right, from Jaylen Brown’s leap to the emergence of several young contributors. Now, Jayson Tatum is back from a torn Achilles, and he has looked great since returning in early March. If the Celtics win a championship following Tatum’s injury and their offseason overhaul, it would be an enormous feat for the entire organization. Tony Jones: The ongoing health of Joel Embiid is like “The Young and the Restless” around Philadelphia. His emergency surgery for appendicitis certainly threatens his availability for a first-round Celtics matchup and affects the 76ers as a whole. Through all of the smoke this season, one thing is clear: Despite him playing just 38 of the 82 regular-season games, Embiid remains the best player on the roster. He’s proven that much over the course of the season. It’s tough to imagine the Sixers advancing to the second round if Embiid can’t make it back into the fold. King: The backup center minutes. Luka Garza, solid this season, has seen his opportunities minimized recently. Nikola Vučević has a lengthy resume, but the Celtics haven’t always looked sharp with him on the court. Whoever head coach Joe Mazzulla chooses as his backup center in the playoffs, opponents will aim to take advantage of that player’s defensive limitations. Will Garza and Vučević be able to hold up well enough? If not, how much of a problem will that become? Jones: Without Embiid, everyone would have to scale up a notch. Tyrese Maxey has proven to be an offensive engine, so that part is cool. But now, you’re relying on rookie guard VJ Edgecombe to be an offensive engine in support of Maxey and Paul George. Edgecombe has had a standout rookie season and should be getting more love in Rookie of the Year conversations. But he will be going against playoff-level defense under the bright lights of the postseason. For any first-year player, that’s a tall and difficult task. King: The Celtics know who they are. Their core has won a championship. Their young guys have all bought into their roles. Mazzulla has pressed all the right buttons. With Brown reaching another level and Tatum looking more confident in his body by the day, Boston has plenty of ways to beat an opponent. The supporting cast’s lack of playoff experience could be an issue, but the veterans all know what they’re doing under the bright lights. Jones: Maxey and Paul George are high-level playoff performers, and that kind of top-end talent is not something that everyone has. And, this is a 76ers team that’s been through it this season. There is almost no adversity that this group hasn’t faced. In that sense, they certainly won’t be afraid to go and compete against a favored team. This Philadelphia group has typically played up to its competition. It won’t make the Sixers a safe bet to advance, but it does make them an intriguing team to watch as the first round commences. King: Tatum. The Celtics can win with Tatum playing as he did over the final month of the regular season, but what level can he hit during the playoffs? He will be further from his injury with every round they play, but the grueling postseason schedule and intensity will test him more physically. Tatum has met every challenge so far while quickly producing the type of well-rounded play he’s known for. He even played 40 minutes in his final game of the regular season. Still, as weird as it is to call a four-time All-NBA first-teamer an “X-factor,” it’s just hard to predict exactly how high he will be able to fly in the postseason. Jones: Time. The first-round schedule starts a clock on Embiid that will pass like sand through an hourglass. The typical timeline to stay away from physical activity after appendicitis is 14 days. If Embiid needs a ramp-up beyond that (he most certainly will), it seems as if Game 4 is the beginning of the window of when to expect him back in uniform. Are the Sixers still in contention at that point? That will dictate almost everything in terms of whether the star center makes it back. King: Celtics in 4 Jones: Celtics in 6 Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms