The Philadelphia 76ers have done the unthinkable. In one of the most dramatic playoff series in recent NBA history, the Sixers completed a stunning comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate the Boston Celtics in Game 7, winning on the road at TD Garden 109-100. It is a result that will be discussed for years — and it sets up what promises to be an explosive Eastern Conference semifinal clash against the New York Knicks.
The Tatum Bombshell
The story of Game 7 began before tip-off with a bombshell announcement that rocked the basketball world. Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum had been clear on the injury report Friday with no concerns listed — then at around 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday, he appeared on the report with left knee stiffness, and by 5:40 p.m. ET, the Celtics confirmed he was ruled out entirely for Game 7. Yahoo Sports
Tatum had left Game 6 after 29 minutes and did not return. He had said post-game he was “just a little stiff” and was not initially worried — but the medical team and coach Joe Mazzulla made the difficult decision to protect their star, given his history of serious injuries. It was a brutal blow to a Celtics team already fighting for its playoff life — and it forced Mazzulla into desperate lineup decisions, starting three players making their first-ever playoff appearances. Yardbarker
Embiid Delivers a Legacy-Defining Performance
With the door blown wide open, the 76ers walked through it with authority. Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, while Tyrese Maxey added 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Together, the two star players carried the Sixers through every momentum swing of an absolutely electric Game 7 atmosphere inside TD Garden. NFLTradeRumors.co
The Sixers wasted no time establishing dominance — Embiid knocked down a jumper from the right elbow on the game’s very first play, and the Sixers flew out to a 9-0 lead before Boston could blink. Rookie guard VJ Edgecombe was sensational in the opening quarter, pouring in early points and helping Philadelphia build a lead as large as 15 in the first period. The Pewter Plank
Edgecombe finished with 23 points on 8-for-17 shooting, connecting on 5 of his 11 three-point attempts, and adding four assists and six rebounds in 43 minutes. For a rookie playing in one of the highest-pressure environments in professional basketball, it was a genuinely remarkable performance. Yardbarker
Boston’s Stunning Fourth-Quarter Surge
The Celtics refused to die. Philadelphia built an 18-point second-half lead, but Boston clawed all the way back to within one point with less than four minutes remaining — turning TD Garden into an absolute frenzy. Jaylen Brown was magnificent in defeat, scoring a team-high 33 points on 12-for-27 shooting, while Derrick White added 26 points in 45 minutes, doing most of his damage in the first half. NFLTradeRumors.co + 2
But Boston’s fatal flaw ultimately proved to be their three-point shooting. As a team the Celtics shot just 13-for-49 from beyond the arc — a brutal number in an era where perimeter shooting determines playoff outcomes. When the Celtics needed a big shot to take the lead in crunch time, Payton Pritchard missed a wide-open corner three that would have put Boston ahead. Yardbarker
Maxey Closes the Door
That miss proved decisive. Maxey brought the ball up the floor and beat both Neemias Queta and Derrick White for two consecutive clutch buckets — the two biggest shots of the entire series — to put the game away for good. His composure in that moment, with the sellout crowd at TD Garden screaming and the season on the line, was the defining image of the entire series. Maxey iced the game with several clutch buckets, as Boston was simply unable to keep him out of the paint when it mattered most. NFLTradeRumors.coYardbarker
Historic Significance
The 76ers’ win is their first playoff series victory over the Celtics since 1982 — ending more than four decades of postseason heartbreak against their fiercest rival. It also makes Philadelphia one of the rare teams in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit and win on the road in Game 7. NFL
Embiid Health Concern
The celebration in the Sixers’ locker room was tempered slightly by a worrying moment late in the game. Maxey collided with Embiid’s knee late in the fourth quarter, and with 15.4 seconds left, Embiid was on the bench. Embiid walked away on his own and was on his feet after the game, but his knee status is worth monitoring closely ahead of Game 1 against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Monday. YardbarkerHeavy Sports
What’s Next: Sixers vs. Knicks
Philadelphia now faces the New York Knicks in what promises to be one of the most anticipated second-round matchups in years. Maxey is going to be a serious problem for the Knicks if his Game 7 performance is any indication. The Sixers are battle-tested, emotionally charged, and riding one of the great comeback stories in recent NBA playoff history. New York, beware