The Boston Celtics

The Celtics dominated the Philadelphia 76ers in game 1 of their first-round matchup on Sunday, 123-91. 

Sixers fans never seem to learn their lesson. They said they wanted Boston, and they got Boston. 

The Celtics’ 32-point win was a product of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combining for 51 points, despite the star duo hardly playing in the fourth quarter. 

In his first playoff game since he ruptured his Achilles, Tatum came out swinging and dropped 21 points in the first half. 

The Celtics continued to play unselfish basketball, with six players scoring double figures. 

At the end of the day, this game confirmed what many suspected heading into the series — Philadelphia is outmatched. 

The Celtics were phenomenal defensively and capitalized during transitions, scoring 22 points off Philly turnovers. 

The C’s are chock-full of shooters, and they’re not afraid to prove it — 10 different Celtics players individually hit a 3-pointer on Sunday.  

Boston is undoubtedly one of the top teams in the league, especially with Tatum contributing at such a high level. Without Joel Embiid’s presence in the paint, the Sixers don’t stand a chance. 

I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I predict the Celtics will win this series in five games or fewer. 

As long as they don’t lose focus, Boston is the team to beat this postseason. 

On Tuesday night, they will look to claim a 2-0 series lead before heading to Philadelphia. 

The Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox continue their up-and-down season, capturing a win over the Detroit Tigers in a Monday game to avoid the sweep. 

Despite getting the win, the game brought some bad news with pitcher Sonny Gray exiting in the third inning due to hamstring tightness. 

This is a tough blow for Boston, considering their pitching struggles so far this year. 

Gray has put together a couple of quality starts and has appeared to be a game-changer on the mound. 

Star pitcher Garrett Crochet’s is not performing to his standards, making Gray’s injury particularly concerning. 

I hate to admit it, but Crochet’s issues are beginning to worry me. 

His two most recent starts have shown uncharacteristic mistakes. 

On Sunday, his velocity was up against Detroit relative to his massacre against the Minnesota Twins, a good sign that he’s alright physically.

His biggest issue has been control and the unfortunate decline of his sweeper. 

Last season, his sweeper was the money pitch he could turn to with two strikes to punch out opposing batters. This season, it’s had far less movement — and it hangs over the plate — which has led Crochet to give up quick runs. 

He needs to work with the pitching coaches to fix his mechanical issues so that he can return to the ace he is. 

With Gray heading to the injured list and no day off this week, I expect left-hander Payton Tolle to make a start soon. 

For now, the Sox need to get ready. On Tuesday, the New York Yankees are visiting for the first time this season. 

The Boston Bruins

The Bruins are down 1-0 after a brutal loss to the Buffalo Sabres in game 1 of their first-round series on Sunday. 

Boston held a 2-0 lead in the third period before conceding four goals to Buffalo in less than seven minutes, completely collapsing and retreating with a loss. Losing the first playoff game of the season in such tragic fashion is unacceptable. 

But Buffalo took significantly more shots than Boston, and the Bruins need to play smarter moving forward to make a playoff run. 

They are more than good enough to win this series, but they can’t afford to choke another game and fall to 0-2. 

They will look to tie things at one apiece on Tuesday night in Buffalo.