There is no better feeling as a sports fan than preparing to watch a game 7. But for the coaches and players, one team is headed home for a good while the other would get within just four games of the NBA Finals.
Anything can happen out there, and as Boston and Philly begin their final preparations for the contest, this will be a great test to see if Joel Embiid really is the MVP. Nikola Jokic, who took care of business against the Suns, is looking a bit better in these playoffs.
But for the Celtics, this is the same situation they had a season ago. Milwaukee, without Khris Middleton, took them to seven games. Of course, Boston got the win and wound up in the NBA Finals after surviving a thrilling series against the Heat. This is nothing new for them.
It could mark two years in a row that the defending conference champions were knocked out in a game 7 in the second round of the playoffs.
Betting Odds & Lines
Spread: CELTICS -6.5
Moneyline: SIXERS +215, CELTICS -275
Over/Under: 201.0
Philly Tries to Advance For the First Time Since 2000
It’s been a long time since these 76ers last made it to the conference finals. 2001 was when it happened, with so much second-round heartbreak coming along in the process. The defeat against the Raptors has to be at the top of the list, with Kawhi Leonard hitting one of the craziest buzzer-beaters in league history.
Atlanta’s game 7 win on the road at the Sixers place came as a shocker, too. The #1 seed in the league, and they could not win. It also marked the end of the Ben Simmons era.
If Embiid can lock in and play his best game of the series, they will have a chance. James Harden shooting the ball well from the field also usually carries a lot of weight in the winning decision.
They need those two guys to step up, with Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris making just enough big plays.
Boston Aims to Return to ECF
Making it to round three has been very easy for the Celtics over the last eight years. They got there a few times and got wrecked by the Cavaliers in the mid-2010s. And finally, in 2022, they were able to take what they did and push to get a little farther.
Ime Udoka led them to the NBA Finals in 2022 during his first season at the helm. He didn’t return, and so 34-year-old Joe Mazzulla, a first-time head coach, took over the reins.
For all the bad moments he has had in this postseason, Jayson Tatum stepped up to the plate when the team needed him most in the last game. He was draining threes like there was no tomorrow during the late stages of the fourth quarter.
Of course, there would not have been a tomorrow of which to speak of for Boston if he hadn’t stepped up. The C’s need to make their threes and keep Embiid at bay if they want to win.
Philly Philly!
The 76ers will get the win on the road to finally push themselves to the conference finals. Embiid is ready.
- FREE PICK: SIXERS +215
