"At least when Celtics smoked Nets they was missing half the roster" - NBA fans react to Boston Celtics' blowout win over Philadelphia 76ers

The Boston Celtics handed the Philadelphia 76ers a humiliating loss at home [Source: CelticsBlog]

The Boston Celtics handed the Philadelphia 76ers one of their most embarrassing losses of the season. With a 135-87 score line, the Celtics notched a blowout win against the fifth-ranked Sixers.

Featuring some spectacular defense and an unstoppable offense, the Celtics held Philadelphia to below 90 points at home. They also managed to contain a superstar such as Joel Embiiid to only 19 points.

Considering the aggressive nature of fans from both cities, the loss at Wells Fargo Center saw emotional reactions from fans on both sides. The mood of NBA fans was aptly expressed as a flurry of tweets went out following the blowout win.

The 76ers fans booing their team as they are down 101-56 against the Celtics on the first night James Harden is on the bench is priceless

The Celtics to the 76ers https://t.co/GGtGM0rjWW

@celtics SMOKING THE 76ERS ON MY BIRTHDAY?!?! https://t.co/guVUWx7zWQ

At least when Celtics smoked Nets they was missing half the roster, 76ers fully healthy

Harden was watching Celtics blow out nets from the bench in his last nets game and now his first Philly game he’s watching Celtics blow 76ers out.

Matter of time till he requests a trade here

The 76ers to the Celtics: https://t.co/v8KCBFO5xd

This guy might be the biggest Philadelphia 76ers fan Unfortunately he had to be obliterated at the expense of James harden and the Boston Celtics and Myself https://t.co/iCO6GHN5ID

Bruh the Celtics beat the brakes off the 76ers … sheeeeeesh!

Shut Embiid down completely. Wow

ARE THEY CALLED THE 76ERS BECAUSE THAT’S HOW MANY POINTS THE CELTICS DEFENSE HOLDS THEM TO?

That 76ers Celtics score can not be real https://t.co/rzgyJfuJPi

Fans of the Philadelphia 76ers rejoiced following the Ben Simmons-James Harden trade. However, this joy would be shortlived to say the least.

Having been handed a humiliating loss with a 48-point differential at home, the Philadelphia 76ers will have a lot of questions to answer as they await Harden's debut in a Sixers uniform.

How did the Boston Celtics dominate the Philadelphia 76ers?

The Boston Celtics celebrate a made three-point shot

With the full complement of their roster available to them, the Boston Celtics have finally shown signs of turning a corner this season. Since the month of January, the Celtics have been an impressive unit as they racked up a 17-6 record along with a nine-game winning streak following Tuesday night's win.

But how exactly has this happened? Behind the incredible performances of Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers aren't exactly a weak side. While also factoring in their 34-23 record, the Sixers also climbed their way up the Eastern Conference ladder. So what is different about the Celtics?

The major game changer is the defense. Boston has displayed some stifling defense since late January. Boasting a league-best defensive rating of 99.0 and the best net ratings this month, the Boston Celtics have seen a complete change in their playing culture.

Boston Celtics over their last 15 games:

#1 in defensive rating (99.0)
#1 in net rating (+14.6)
Won 12 of the last 15

And they just added Derrick White as well. This team has “dark horse” written all over them for the playoffs.

The change is quite evident on the floor. As addressed by Philadelphia 76ers head coach, and former Boston Celtics head coach, Doc Rivers, Boston has started to move the ball around a lot more as opposed to the isolation style of play that was rampant early in the season.

Doc Rivers: "You watch Boston play, and you can literally see the improvement of their ball movement. The old Boston is more isos. This Boston is driving and playing with each other. That's what makes them so much tougher."

Allowing the superstar duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to coexist, a major concern that needed to be addressed by Boston earlier in the season, the side has managed to draw the most out of their roster's potential.

With the recent addition of a solid guard such as Derrick White to their rotation, the Celtics will look to make a lot of noise in their upcoming matchups as they compete for a solid position in the Eastern Conference seedings.