It’s all tied up as the Eastern Conference Semifinals return to Boston for Game 5 between the Celtics and Sixers.
After a comeback win in Game 4, here are the questions facing the Sixers going into Game 5 Monday night:
1. Will the bench dominance continue?
The 76ers bench was a combined plus-60 (led by plus-28) from Lou Williams in their 92-83 win in Philly Friday night. The Sixers starters went a combined minus-15 with none having a positive impact.
2. Who’s in the middle?
Sixers coach Doug Collins has showed that he is willing to play smaller with rookie Lavoy Allen and Thaddeus Young piling up minutes in Game 4 (33 and 31 respectively) while starting center Spencer Hawes and power forward Elton Brand combined for only 31 minutes.
3. Is speed key to beating the older Celtics?
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"I think depth is vital," head coach Doug Collins said following Monday morning's shootaround. "We trust our bench. It was one of the most potent in the league [during the regular season], I think third or fourth in the league in scoring. Our bench brings a different dimension than what we start with. We come in and have some speed with Thad and Lou. "
4. Is Andre Iguodala a three-point shooter now?
Iggy is the much-maligned leader of the Sixers known more for his defense than shooting but against the C’s he has found his shooting touch going 9-for-15 (60 percent) from beyond the arc so far in this series. If he keeps that up it adds more potency to a Sixers’ offense that relies on jump shots and fast breaks more than driving the lane.
5. Who will win Game 5?
In this series each team has answered the call after the other won. With the game in Boston, the Celtics reeling still from Game 4 and with Boston’s old legs getting an extra day off, you gotta think that the C’s will prevail. But, that’s why they play the game.
