The 76ers Finally Get The Best Of Boston

Philadelphia and Boston have faced off in four playoff series since 2018. The first three all went to the Celtics. It was a rivalry that really was not a rivalry.

The first series took place in round two of the 2018 playoffs. That year, Boston was shorthanded in the postseason as newly acquired Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward were both sidelined with injuries. Rookie Jayson Tatum and second-year player Jaylen Brown led the team. They were the second seed.

The Sixers were led by Joel Embiid and the Rookie of the Year, Ben Simmons. They started clicking in the final stretch of the season, going into the postseason on a sixteen-game win streak. They were the third seed but were viewed as the favorites due to the Celtics’ injuries.

Boston ended up winning the series in five games. They were the better team in the clutch as Brad Stevens outcoached Brett Brown when it mattered. The 76ers lost three games by less than six points. It was one of the more shocking outcomes of that entire postseason.

The next matchup was in the 2020 Bubble. Philadelphia took a big hit when Simmons suffered a knee injury before the playoffs that would sideline him for the rest of the bubble period. The team was not great, even with their star point guard was they were sixth in the East.

Boston, on the other hand, was a well-oiled machine. They finished in third in the conference, and the Tatum/Brown duo became a lethal combo. This matchup on paper was not close, and neither were the results.

The Celtics ended up sweeping the 76ers in round one. Another notch in Boston’s belt in this rivalry. Next came the 2023 matchup that was arguably the best series between the two.

The Celtics were second in the East while Philadelphia was third. They met in the second round once again. The first four games were dominated by Boston in terms of point differential.

The series, however, was tied 2-2 due to two James Harden game winners, and the 76ers held on. Philadelphia then surprised everyone and dominated Game Five in Boston, 115-103, and had a chance to close this series out back at home.

Game Six was the one that got away from the 76ers. They were leading 83-81 in the fourth, and Tatum had been struggling mightily. He had gone 1 for 15 from the floor in the first three and a half quarters.

All of a sudden, Tatum caught fire and drilled three straight threes and helped the Celtics secure the win 95-84. Game Seven was played in Boston, where the Celtics won 112-88. Philadelphia, once again, received the short end of the stick in the rivalry and was unable to make it past round two.

A Shocking Upset

In 2026, the second-seeded Celtics took on the seventh-seeded 76ers. It was a tale of two seasons for these teams. Boston was led by Brown, who was an MVP candidate who had the team winning at a high level before Tatum. They were 43-23.

When Tatum came back, the team really took off and won 13 of their last 16 games, finishing 56-26. The Celtics were looked at as the team to beat out of the East. The 76ers, meanwhile, had a very difficult season.

The injury bug continued to haunt Embiid as he missed 44 games. Paul George was suspended for 25 games in late January for violating the league’s anti-drug program. The team was held together by Tyrese Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe, helping the team finish seventh.

It looked like the season was going to be another waste when Embiid got surgery for appendicitis on April 9th, right before the playoffs. He missed the rest of the regular season and the first three games of the playoff series. Boston went up 2-1 in those games, with Embiid’s first game happening in game four.

The Celtics won Game Four 128-96 and took a commanding 3-1 lead. Game Five was in Boston, and it looked like it was going to be another quick series. Philadelphia, though, did not back down and won 113-97 behind Embiid’s 33 points.

In Game Six, the 76ers rode the momentum and won 106-93 with George and Maxey combining for 52 points. Next, finally came Game Seven in Boston, the same place and situation as in 2023.

This time, Embiid and company won 109-100 behind his 34 points and 12 rebounds. Maxey had 30 points while Edgecombe chipped in with 23. It was truly a team effort that helped cap off one of the most improbable comebacks in a series of all time.

End Of My Philadelphia 76ers-Boston Celtics Rant

This was a fascinating series. Boston had been dominating this rivalry for essentially the last decade.

This year, both teams had completely different stores. The Celtics got their star player back and looked unstoppable. The 76ers’ star player kept getting injured, and the team’s regular-season success suffered.

No one thought that Philadelphia would break the losing streak this year out of all years, but here we are. This is further proof that the NBA playoffs don’t make sense and never will.