Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was pleased that Boston exited Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center with a 114–102 victory against the 76ers on Friday night.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 50 points in the Celtics win, giving Boston a 2–1 advantage in the best-of-seven series against Philadelphia and spoiling Joel Embiid’s performance on the night of his MVP coronation.
Even after the pulling off the win, Mazzulla does not expect his squad to relax heading into Game 4. In fact, he expects the matchup to be one of the most intense of the series.
“An absolute war,” Mazzulla said.
If the series so far is any indication, Mazzulla may be right. It’s been a hotly-contested series to this point, with the Sixers throwing the first haymaker with a Game 2 victory and the Celtics storming right back with a massive 34-point win in Game 2 before taking Game 3 as well.
However, on Sunday, the Celtics will have the opportunity to take a commanding 3–1 series lead against the 76ers. Their coach, for one, doesn’t expect anything to come easily.
