Celtics will now face a familiar foe in the 76ers in Eastern Conference semis
BOSTON -- The Celtics finally punched their ticket to the second round of the NBA playoffs on Thursday night, handling the Hawks in Atlanta. After taking their first-round series in six games, the Celtics are moving on to face the Philadelphia 76ers for a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
While the Celtics needed six games to advance, the 76ers have been chilling since Saturday after sweeping the Brooklyn Nets. It has given Philly big man Joel Embiid a few extra days to rest the LCL sprain in his right knee that kept him out of last weekend's Game 4 win over the Nets. When the second-round series finally begins Monday, Philadelphia will have had 11 days between games.
The Celtics will get the weekend off before welcoming the 76ers to Boston for Game 1 on Monday night. Here's the full schedule for the upcoming series:
Game 1: Monday, May 1 in Boston
Game 2: Wednesday, May 3 in Boston
Game 3: Friday, May 5 in Philadelphia
Game 4: Sunday, May 7 in Philadelphia
Game 5: Tuesday, May 9 in Boston*
Game 6: Thursday, May 11 in Philadelphia*
Game 7: Sunday, May 14 in Boston*
*If Necessary
While the Celtics have had the 76ers' number the last few years, Embiid, James Harden, and crew seem determined to exorcise those demons this postseason. On the bench, Philly is led by former Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, who is in his third season with the team. The 76ers have now reached the East semis in all three seasons under Doc, but have yet to advance to the conference finals.
The Celtics will look to keep that trend going over the next few weeks. But don't expect it to be as easy as its been over the last few years. This should be an absolute battle filled with physical play, loads of trash talk, and lots and lots of infuriating flopping from the likes of Harden and Embiid. (The Celtics have a few guys for that, too.)
The Regular Season
Philadelphia had its lumps during the regular season, but finished 54-28 to claim the No. 3 seed in the East -- three games behind Boston when it was all said and done. The 76ers had a plus-4.3 point differential in the regular season, which was good for third-best in the East.
The Celtics had their number though, taking three of the four regular season meetings. Boston won the first three matchups.
Boston started the season with a 126-117 win over Philadelphia on Opening Night. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both scored 35 points for the Celtics on a combined 27-for-44 shooting. James Harden scored 35 for the 76ers, while Joel Embiid poured in 25 points to go with his 15 rebounds. The game was tied at halftime, but the Celtics took control in the third quarter and cruised to 1-0 on the season.
The Celtics won again in Boston on Feb. 8, 106-99, and did so without Marcus Smart, Al Horford, and Robert Williams in the lineup. Blake Griffin and Grant Williams made up Boston's starting frontcourt, and combined for 30 points. Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon were Boston's leading scorers with 19 points each, while Tatum added a dozen. Brown played only 18 minutes after suffering a facial fracture when he caught an inadvertent elbow from Tatum under the basket.
The two teams played in Philadelphia a few weeks later on Feb. 25, but the results were the same as the Celtics won 110-107. A masked Jaylen Brown led the way for Boston with 26 points while White added 18 off the bench. Tatum struggled with his shot for most of the night, scoring just 18 points off 7-for-17 shooting, but he pulled down 13 rebounds and hit a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds to lift the C's to a win.
Embiid nailed a 70-foot shot after Tatum sank his three, but the desperation heave by the Philly big man left his hands just a tick too late. He scored 41 points that night to go with 12 rebounds, while Harden added 21 and Tobias Harris scored 19 for Philadelphia.
The 76ers got their first and only win over Boston on April 4 in Philly, but they needed 52 points (on 20-for-25 shooting) and 13 rebounds from Embiid to beat a Jaylen Brown-less Celtics, 110-107. Harden had 20 points and 10 assists for Philadelphia, while six Celtics players -- White (26 points), Tatum (19), Brogdon (18), Smart (17), Horford (11), and Grant Williams (10) -- scored in double digits.
Playoff History
This rivalry goes back. Way back. The franchises have met 22 times in the playoffs, dating back when the 76ers were the Syracuse Nationals. The Celtics and the 76ers have squared off 14 times since 1965, with Boston winning 10 of those series.
The Celtics have won five straight playoff series over the 76ers.
Boston swept their first-round matchup with Philadelphia in 2020, which was played in the NBA Bubble in Orlando. In 2018, the Celtics stunned the 76ers by taking their East semifinals matchup in five games, led by a rookie Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in his second NBA season.