For the second year in a row and the fifth time in the last seven seasons, the Celtics are going to the Eastern Conference Finals. How they got there this time was the crazy part as Boston's superstar swingman Jayson Tatum erupted for a 51-point, 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals masterpiece as the C's broke open a close Game 7 this afternoon at TD Garden with a 28-3 run in the third quarter which pushed them over the finish line 112-88 over the Sixers. Their reward is a rematch with the Miami Heat who they memorably beat in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. After trailing 3-2 in this series (just like last year when they were down 3-2 to Milwaukee in the second round), it was a very Happy Mother's Day for the Celtics led by Tatum who had the game of his young life while also setting an NBA record for the most points ever in a Game 7.
Philadelphia actually got off to a very solid start as they led 29-23 after the first quarter before Boston rallied for a 55-52 halftime advantage. The third quarter-where the Celtics outscored the Sixers 33-10-is the type of playoff frame that gets head coaches fired. Then again, if you were Philly's head coach Doc Rivers, would you want to continue to work with noted dogs and playoff chokers like MVP Joel Embiid (15 points, 8 rebounds) and former MVP James Harden (9 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals) who both rolled over and let this blowout transpire without any sort of fight back? What would have been an extremely rough off-season for Tatum if the C's had lost will likewise be a deservedly unkind summer for Doc, Embiid and Harden since the Sixers blew a golden chance to reach the franchise's first Eastern Conference Finals since way back in 2001.
This will forever be remembered as "The Tatum Game" but Boston also got a solid performance from its other star-shooting guard Jaylen Brown who had his face bloodied but did not slow down as he added 25 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Tatum did what true superstars and (future?) MVPs do in Game 7s by putting his team on his back. The only other Celtic who scored in double figures was backup point guard Malcolm Brogdon who notched 12 points off the bench. Did I mention that Sixers power forward Tobias Harris led them with 19 points and five rebounds? Haha what else needs to be said about a gutless team that also received 17 points from point guard Tyrese Maxey and 11 points from wily veteran forward P.J. Tucker?
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals is on Wednesday (8:30, TNT) at the Garden and there will be no extra days off as each contest will be two days apart with the same exact start time. Heat superstar Jimmy Butler needs no introduction but this is yet another series where Boston rightfully enters it as a heavy betting favorite. Interestingly enough with Lakers-Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals tipping off on Tuesday (8:30, ESPN), this is the exact same final four that the NBA got in the 2020 bubble playoffs. Let's not get ahead of ourselves but it would be fantastic to see another Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals. More importantly, the Celtics have to quickly shift their focus to a team that while missing its sniper shooting guard Tyler Herro is still tougher and markedly better than the Hawks and Sixers. Boston is once again the superior team on paper but Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is maybe the best in the game so if the C's slip up, Miami could certainly upset them and reach the NBA Finals just like they did in 2020.
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