The Philadelphia 76ers were no match for a Boston Celtics team that relied heavily on its bench to guide them to a 105-87 victory in the season opener.

It was yet another easy win for the Celtics against their Atlantic Division rivals. Boston won three of four in the season series a year ago, then needed just five games to eliminate Philadelphia in the second round of the playoffs. That was without top stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, who both had to miss the entire postseason.

And 76ers' star center Joel Embiid doesn't want you to consider it a rivalry right now. He was quite blunt when explaining why after the game.

"This is not a rivalry," he said, via Sean Deveney of Sporting News. "I don't know our record against them, but it's pretty bad. They always kick our (expletive).

Embiid's teammate, J.J. Redick, concurred and told reporters the 76ers must eliminate Boston from the postseason before it's considered a rivalry. He also added that Boston has "the upper hand."

Embiid did his job in trying to guide Philly to victory. He had 23 points and 10 rebounds in the contest, going up against one of the NBA's stingiest defensive units from last season. Ben Simmons added 19 points, eight assists and 15 rebounds. Redick had 16 points, but made just two of eight shots from beyond the arc.

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Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The 76ers simply couldn't contain sophomore Jayson Tatum (23 points, nine rebounds), Marcus Morris (16 points, 10 rebounds), or Jaylen Brown (12 points, five rebounds). Irving had an off game, scoring just seven points. He was a woeful 2-of-14 from the field.

But head coach Brad Stevens wisely decided to give everybody significant playing time, reducing the minutes of Irving and Hayward. It allowed the young tandem of Tatum and Brown to step in and lead Boston to an easy victory.

The 76ers are widely expected to challenge Boston and the Toronto Raptors for the Eastern Conference title. But if Simmons, Embiid and Markelle Fultz can't beat the Celtics - even when their top players are absent or struggling - they can't be considered a threat to win the East.

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