What to know about the Celtics' playoff series against the 76ers

Catch up quick: The Celts' muted preseason expectations had a lot to do with Jayson Tatum's Achilles tendon injury in last year's playoffs.

• But their other superstar, Jaylen Brown, reached a new level as a solo act.
• And Tatum's recovery progressed more quickly than most expected. He's playing well enough to at least be an X-factor in these playoffs.

Know your enemy: The Sixers are the No. 7 seed in the East (Boston is No. 2) and had to win a play-in game against the Orlando Magic to secure that spot.

• The 76ers went 2-2 against the Celts in the regular season, but Tatum didn't play in any of those games.
• Expect Philly to lean heavily on two household names, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, to try to counter Boston's Jays.

The intrigue: The Sixers' other star, center Joel Embiid, recently had an emergency appendectomy. His status for the series is unclear.

The odds: The Celtics are viewed as significant favorites to win the best-of-seven series, with 9-to-1 odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

What's next: Game 1 tips off at TD Garden at 1pm Sunday. You can watch on ABC. Game 2 follows on Tuesday at 7 pm, also at home.