You're listening to the Sixers Beach with your host Derek Bodner right here on Libertyballers.com and LibertyBroadcast.com.

Good morning, everyone.

This is Derek Bodner, joined by Rich Hoffman on a preview podcast of Sixers v. Celtics.

We will be releasing this on Monday morning, the day of game one of the second round series against the Boston Celtics.

How you doing, Rich?

Happy that we finally know who the Sixers are playing, man.

It, uh, there was a few days there where I was at Sixers practice, and for the hottest team

in the NBA, there was nothing really to talk about.

No, no, it really, and every day it's like, so Brett, how are you preparing? And he's like, ah, you know, we're working over some things using this time wisely. And it's like, there's, there's only so much. And that's probably not true. If there's any team that probably needed this kind of layoff, it was probably the Sixers, if for no other reason than to reintegrate you all in beat back. And this is a guy, you know, this team doesn't really practice. We've been saying this for months now. And with the three-week layoff to get him back and get the chance to, you know, reintegrate him into maybe team concepts, it was good. It would have been better use if you knew you were playing. But you at least, I mean, you had a pretty decent idea. Well, had it down to two teams, so that's good. It would have been better use if you knew you were playing, but you at least, I mean,

you had a pretty decent idea. Well, you had it down to two teams, so that's good. That's good.

All right, let's, uh, the more I look at this series, and really the more I look at the Eastern

conference, the more I come into conclusion that the Sixers are simply the better, more talented team.

Talk me out of that.

Well, I can't because they are.

I have the same thought looking at this series.

To me, for the second straight series, it's going to be about the Sixers.

The Boston Celtics as constituted, and that means with no Kyrie Irving and no Gordon Hayward, for the most part, they have some other players who are out, but those two specifically.

And with Jalen Brown now doubtful for game one. Yeah. They do not have as much talent as the Sixers. They,

I believe, I don't have this in front of me, but yeah, I believe they had a better point

differential. They definitely had a better point differential after the Celtics lost Kyrie.

He was such a huge part of that team.

And yet, it just feels like the same thing as Miami,

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