Embiid, Harden Fall Flat in 76ers' Game 7 Battle vs. Celtics
The Philadelphia 76ers' 2023 NBA Playoff run has come to an end on Sunday night.
Coming off of a first-round sweep against the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the Sixers picked up a second-round series against the Boston Celtics after they defeated the Atlanta Hawks in six games.
When the Sixers faced the Celtics in Game 1 on the road, they went to battle without their MVP center, Joel Embiid, who was out with a sprained knee. Despite missing the dominant center, the Sixers received a huge boost from James Harden, who scored 45 points.
After issuing the Celtics an upset loss, Boston bounced back in Game 2. Even with Embiid on the floor making his second-round series debut this year, the Celtics dominated the Sixers in Game 2 to tie the series up.
When the two teams traveled to Philly for the first time in the series, the Celtics were successful in spoiling Embiid’s pregame MVP ceremony as they handed the Sixers a second-straight loss. Trailing 2-1, the Sixers were down in the playoffs for the first time this year.
Last Sunday’s Game 4 was critical for Philadelphia, who understood they had to avoid falling to 1-3 in the series before going back to Boston. While the Celtics put up a strong fight, putting together a comeback and sending the game into overtime, the Sixers finished the job and snagged a win in Game 4.
Going back to Boston with the series tied 2-2, the Sixers shocked their doubters as they put together their most impressive win of the series. With a comfortable win on the road in Game 5, the Sixers took a 3-2 lead as the series went back to Philadelphia for Game 6.
The Sixers started slow in Game 6 but had an impressive turnaround at the start of the second half. Unfortunately, they went cold in crunch time. As the Celtics put together a dominant run in the fourth quarter, the Sixers ultimately came up short in Game 6.
With two days off, the Sixers and the Celtics returned to Boston for the seventh and final game of the series. The Sixers hoped to avoid coming up short in the second round for the third-straight season by punching their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001.
As expected, the Sixers walked into an intense environment at TD Garden on Sunday. With the Celtics’ season on the line, they had a clear home-court advantage from the start of the game.
Unlike the last few games, Boston got a notable boost from their veteran forward, Jayson Tatum. Through his first 21 minutes of action, Tatum knocked down nine of his 16 shots and six of his eight free throws for 25 points.
Meanwhile, the Sixers’ star duo of Joel Embiid and James Harden struggled to gain a rhythm. Through 21 minutes, James Harden knocked down just two of his eight shots from the field. Meanwhile, Embiid converted on just four of his 12 shots. At the half, Embiid and Harden produced just 19 points combined.
Tatum’s offensive jolt, mixed with Embiid and Harden’s struggles, led to the Celtics getting off to a 55-52 lead at halftime.
Unlike their previous performance, the Sixers weren’t able to find an edge coming out of the half. In fact, they did the total opposite. As Tatum continued to catch fire, the Sixers didn’t have an answer for Boston on either end of the floor.
Philadelphia fell totally flat in the third quarter. The Celtics dominated offensively, draining nearly 60 percent of their shots. As Tatum’s masterclass continued, the Sixers didn’t have any answers on the other end of the floor.
Putting up 21 shots, the Sixers hit on just 14 percent of their attempts. The Sixers couldn’t score more than ten points coming out of the half, which caused them to head into the fourth quarter trailing 88-62
At that point, it was evident the Sixers were headed for elimination.
With the season on the line, the Sixers didn’t get much from their stars. Joel Embiid shot just 28 percent from the field, totaling 15 points. Harden struggled once again as he knocked down only 27 percent of his shots while scoring nine points in his 41-minute showing.
On the other side, Boston got just what they needed from their starting core. Jaylen Brown knocked down nine of his 19 shots to score 25 points.
Tatum, who remained hot from the fourth quarter of Game 6, put on an MVP-caliber performance to push his team past the Sixers. The star forward hit on 61 percent of his shots and produced 51 points.
With a 112-88 loss to the Celtics, the Sixers come up short in the second round for the third-straight season. Meanwhile, the Celtics are headed back to the Eastern Conference Finals for a rematch with the Miami Heat.
