The Philadelphia 76ers are set to face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, following what marks the 14th occasion of a team overcoming a 3-1 deficit in NBA postseason history.
Philadelphia secured their third consecutive win in a do-or-die scenario, prevailing 109-100 in the decisive Game 7 on Saturday. This victory knocked out the Boston Celtics, who were without their key player Jayson Tatum due to a stiff knee. The win proved challenging, mirroring the arduous nature of the entire series.
This turnaround defied historical NBA trends in several ways. Prior to Saturday’s contest, Boston held a perfect 32-0 record in series after establishing a 3-1 advantage, marking the highest number of such victories without a single defeat for any franchise. Conversely, Philadelphia had a record of 0-18 when trailing 3-1 in a series, representing the most losses without a corresponding win for any team.
Moreover, the team from Philadelphia stands as the inaugural No. 7 seed to conquer a No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference since the initial round became a best-of-seven format in 2003. Additionally, this constitutes their initial postseason series success since the 2023 playoffs.
In Game 7, Joel Embiid was the primary contributor, accumulating 34 points, 12 boards, 6 dimes, and only 1 miscue, while Tyrese Maxey contributed 30 points, 11 boards, 7 dimes, and 1 miscue. Together, they represent only the third pair in history to each record at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a road Game 7.
The preceding duo to achieve this feat was Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant back in 2002.
The matchup between the Sixers and the Knicks is scheduled to commence on Monday.
Joel Embiid’s Defining Performance
From an individual standpoint, no athlete carried greater stakes into this contest than Embiid, especially after he invited a flood of commentary by confessing his exasperation with repeatedly losing to the Celtics following Game 6.
The 76ers, under Embiid’s leadership, previously held an 0-3 playoff record versus the Celtics, and the Philadelphia franchise had not defeated Boston in any contest since 1982. Factoring in Embiid’s generally underwhelming track record in prior postseasons, this encounter was poised to draw intense criticism should the Sixers have faltered.
Embiid prevented such an outcome. Despite enduring several concerning injury moments, such as when Maxey inadvertently collided with his knees during the latter stages of the fourth quarter, this victory ultimately belonged to him.
Maxey similarly delivered a monumental performance in the fourth period, contributing eight of the final ten points for the Sixers as the Celtics experienced a severe scoring drought, missing 10 consecutive attempts in the closing five minutes.
Such a scenario appeared highly improbable at the commencement of the postseason. Embiid had been sidelined since early April following an emergency appendectomy, adding another entry to his extensive injury saga, and only rejoined the team for Game 4.
He consequently became the inaugural athlete in NBA annals to register a minimum of 100 points in a playoff series, notwithstanding his absence from the initial three games.
