I wondered the same, but I think the much bigger deal was that not being on a B2B let them play with the intensity you need to to compete with Embiid. Theis was insanely active, help defense was on-point and unpredictable, and they were able to shrink the floor better.Thinking about the win over Philly, I am wondering if Kemba being out sort of helped them in one distinct way: in meant that they didn't give a single minute to a player under 6'3", and, of course, Marcus Smart is way better than your typical 6'3" in defending bigger players. That meant that Jaylen got a lot more of his time at guard than he would have if Kemba were playing.
Does being bigger (and more competitive against size) in the point and wing part of the lineup help compensate for being undersized at C and throughout the lineup, as the Celtics are whent hey match up with Philly?
I know no one likes B2Bs as an excuse, but there's a reason they don't do them in the playoffs. It makes a really, really big difference for someone like Theis, who is being asked to go out there for 12 rounds of combat basically.