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Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum, left, tries to get past Philadelphia 76ers' Paul George during the first half of Game 6 in a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
On Saturday night, the Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first round series. It is a fitting end to a confounding series that has featured two Boston 32-point victories, the return of 76ers star center Joel Embiid and Philadelphia overcoming a three games to one deficit to force the ninth Game 7 between the teams.
Boston has won six of those matchups, including three years ago in the conference semifinals when Jayson Tatum scored 51 points in a 112-88 victory. The 76ers last defeated the Celtics in a Game 7 in the 1982 conference finals, which was also the last time Philadelphia has won any series against their longtime rivals. Since then, the Celtics won series over the 76ers in 1985, 2002, 2012, 2018, 2020 and 2023.
The 76ers have never won a playoff series after losing three of the first four games, while the Celtics have never blown a 3-1 lead. Philadelphia is 6-12 in Game 7’s, while Boston is 27-10, the most victories in such games of any NBA franchise.
Tatum left Thursday night’s game late in the third quarter and headed to the locker room. He later rode on an exercise bicycle near the team’s bench and didn’t return. He said that his leg was “just a little stiff” and it was just a precautionary measure and that he anticipates playing on Saturday.
Embiid, meanwhile, has played in the past three playoff games after returning from an emergency surgery for appendicitis on April 9. He had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists in Game 6, while fellow stars Tyrese Maxey (30 points) and Paul George (23 points) also performed at a high level.
Below, we examine the eight previous Game 7’s between the Celtics and 76ers.
1959 Conference Finals
Back then, the 76ers didn’t even have the same name, as they were the Syracuse Nationals and played in upstate New York. The franchise left for Philadelphia in 1963 and became the 76ers.
In 1959, the Nationals won their first round series over the New York Knicks and advanced to face the Celtics, which had received a bye. The teams split the first six games, with each winning their home games.
In Game 7, Syracuse led 68-60 at halftime, but the Celtics outplayed the Nationals in the second half and won 130-125 in front of their home crowd. Bill Russell led the Celtics with 18 points and 32 rebounds, while Bob Cousy had 25 points, 10 assists and 7 assists and Frank Ramsey had 28 points and 11 rebounds. The Nationals had four players with at least 20 points in Dolph Schayes (35), George Yardley (32), Red Kerr (23) and Larry Costello (20).
The Celtics then swept the Minneapolis Lakers in four games in the NBA Finals, the start of a stretch in which Boston won eight consecutive titles. How loaded was the 1959 Celtics team? They had seven players who later were enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame: Russell, Cousy, Ramsey, Tom Heinsohn, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones and Bill Sharman.
1965 Conference Finals
As was the case six years earlier, the Celtics received a bye into the conference finals, while the 76ers defeated the Cincinnati Royals in the first round to advance. The teams also split the first six games, with each winning at home.
This Game 7 in Boston was among the most famous in NBA history. With five seconds remaining and the Celtics ahead by one point, 76ers guard Hal Greer inbounded the ball under Philadelphia’s own basket. But Boston forward John Havlicek deflected the pass, leading legendary Celtics radio announcer Johnny Most to yell “Havlicek stole the ball!,” an iconic call that Boston fans still remember. Celtics guard Sam Jones recovered the ball and ran out the clock, clinching Boston’s 110-109 victory.
Wilt Chamberlain, whom the 76ers acquired in a trade in January, had 30 points and 32 rebounds, while Dave Gambee had 25 points and 6 assists and Chet Walker had 24 points and 5 rebounds. Meanwhile, Jones had a game-high 37 points, and Bill Russell had 15 points, 29 rebounds and 8 assists. The Celtics then defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the NBA Finals.
1968 Conference Finals
Even though the 76ers usually played in Boston’s shadow, they entered the playoffs with a 62-20 record, the best in the NBA, while the Celtics were 54-28. As such, the 76ers had home court advantage. After losing Game 1 at home, they won the next three games. But Boston won Game 5 in Philadelphia and Game 6 at home to force a Game 7 on the road.
Although the 76ers were on their home court, they lost 100-96, as they only made 35.2% of their field goals and just 55.6% of their free throws. Star center Wilt Chamberlain missed nine of his 15 free throws and finished with just 14 points, but he did have a game-high 34 rebounds. For the Celtics, Bill Russell had a triple double (12 points, 26 rebounds and 10 blocks), while John Havlicek had 21 points and 12 rebounds and 8 assists. In the NBA Finals, the Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, the sixth time since 1959 that Boston beat the Lakers for the title.
1977 Conference Semifinals
Entering the playoffs, the 76ers were the No. 1 seed in the conference after finishing 52-30 in the regular season. They received a first round bye, while the No. 4 seed Celtics defeated the No. 5 seed San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
In the conference semifinals, the 76ers took a 3-2 lead before the Celtics won Game 6 at home. In Game 7, World B. Free came off the bench and scored a game-high 27 points as the 76ers won 83-77 and advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 1968. Julius Erving, who was in his first season with the 76ers after previously playing in the American Basketball Association, added 14 points and 8 rebounds.
The 76ers defeated the Houston Rockets in the conference finals before losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Finals.
1981 Conference Finals
During the regular season, the Celtics and 76ers each went 62-20, tied for the NBA’s best record. But Boston was the No. 1 seed due to a tiebreaker, which ended up giving the Celtics home court advantage when they met in the conference finals.
Still, the 76ers went ahead three games to one and led 59-49 at halftime of Game 5 before the Celtics came back to win the final three games by a combined five points. The 76ers blew a 17-point lead at home in Game 6. And in Game 7, Philadelphia took a five-point halftime lead, but the Celtics ended up winning 91-90 as Larry Bird made the game-winning shot with about a minute left and an inbounds pass from Bobby Jones with a second remaining caromed off the backboard.
In Game 7, Bird finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five steals, while Julius Erving led the 76ers with 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Erving won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award that season, while Bird was second. In the NBA Finals, the Celtics defeated the Houston Rockets in six games for their 14th title, by far the most in history at that time/
1982 Conference Finals
One year after blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Celtics, the 76ers exacted some revenge, upsetting No. 1 seed Boston to advance to the NBA Finals. Still, it wasn’t easy.
Like the previous year, Philadelphia won three of the first four games in the series before Boston won the next two, giving the Celtics a Game 7 at home. The Celtics had gone 35-6 at the Boston Garden during the regular season and finished 63-19, the league’s best record. But in Game 7, the 76ers were on top of their game and won 120-106, thanks to clutch performances from Andrew Toney (34 points and six assists) and Julius Erving (29 points and five assists). To this day, it is the only time Philadelphia has won a Game 7 on the road.
The 76ers ended up losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. But a year later, Philadelphia swept the Lakers to win the championship, as league MVP Moses Malone, Erving and Toney each had strong series.
2012 Conference Semifinals
After the NBA’s owners imposed a lockout, the season didn’t start until Christmas Day, forcing teams to play a condensed 66-game schedule. The Celtics won the division with a 39-27 record, while the 76ers were third at 35-31.
After each team won their first round series, they met in the playoffs for the first time in a decade. The Celtics went up 3-2 before the 76ers won Game 6 in Philadelphia, sending the teams back to Boston. In Game 7, the 76ers trailed by just three points entering the fourth quarter, but the Celtics hung on for an 85-75 victory. Each of Boston’s starters scored in double figures, led by Rajon Rondo with 18 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds and Kevin Garnett with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Andre Iguodala paced Philadelphia with 18 points in what turned out to be his last game in a 76ers uniform, as the franchise traded him that August to the Denver Nuggets.
In the conference finals, the Celtics took the No. 1 seed Miami Heat to the brink of elimination but lost 101-88 in Game 7 on the road. The Heat ended up winning the NBA title thanks to their star trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
2023 Conference Semifinals
Ahead 3-1 in the series and leading by two points entering the fourth quarter of Game 6 at home, the 76ers had a great shot to advance to the conference finals for the first time since 2001. Instead, the franchise once again fell short, losing by nine points in Game 6 to force a Game 7 in Boston. And in front of their home crowd, the Celtics weren’t about to let up.
Jayson Tatum scored a career playoff-high 51 points, leading the Celtics to a 112-88 victory. The Celtics outscored the 76ers 65-33 in the second and third quarters, leading to a celebratory mood at TD Garden in the final quarter. The 76ers shot just 37.3% from the field, including 8 of 37 on 3’s, while stars Joel Embiid (15 points on 5 of 18 shooting) and James Harden (9 points on 3 of 11 shooting) each came up short.
The Celtics ended up losing to the No. 8 seed Miami Heat in seven games in the conference finals before winning the title the next season. Boston has 18 championships, the most in NBA history and one more than the Lakers. The 76ers have three titles: one in Syracuse in 1955 and two in Philadelphia in 1967 and 1983.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
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