76ers complete comeback, rally from 3–1 to beat Celtics 109-100 in Game 7

Philadelphia just pulled off the kind of playoff escape that usually happens to somebody else. The 76ers went into Boston, won Game 7 by ni(nba.com) That matters on its own. But the bigger thing is who they did it against — the Celtics, in Boston, in a series Philadelphia hadn’t been able to solve for decades. (nba.com) ### How did Game 7 actually swing? Philadelphia basically controlled the game for almost the whole night. The Sixers led 32-19 after one qu(nba.com)of the game. Boston made a late push, but the hole was too deep and the Sixers kept finding answers. (nba.com) ### How good was Embiid? This was the version of Joel Embiid Philadelphia needed all season and rarely got for long stretches. He finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists in Game 7, and he did it(nba.com)ics stayed home, he punished single coverage. That balance is what let the Sixers keep control instead of just surviving. (espn.com) ### Was it only Embiid? No — and that’s a big reason this comeback (nba.com)hia got enough secondary shot-making and defense to keep Boston from turning the game into a pure star duel. The Sixers have spent years looking top-heavy in big moments. In this series, they finally looked like a team with more than one answer. (espn.com) ### What happened to Boston? The biggest immediate fac(espn.com)se never had its usual shape without Tatum’s creation and gravity. The Celtics also shot poorly from 3 — 13-for-49 in the box score — which made every comeback run harder than it needed to be. (espn.com) ### Why is the 3-1 part such a big deal? Because teams usually don’t come back from that. Philadelphia became the 14th team in NBA history to win(espn.com)t before this one. So this wasn’t just a nice rally — it was a franchise-level reversal of a pattern that had defined a lot of Sixers postseason disappointment. (espn.com) ### Why does beating Boston hit differently? Because this matchup carries baggage. The Sixers had not won a playof(espn.com) decades of exits, near-misses, and the same rival ending the season. So even though this was officially a first-round series, it lands emotionally more like a barrier finally breaking. (nba.com) ### What comes next now? Philadelphia advances to face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Game 1 set for Monday nig(espn.com)another collapse, the Sixers get a live second-round shot against a rested, physical Knicks team. (nba.com) ### Bottom line? The Sixers didn’t just win a Game 7. They flipped the script on their own recent history — against their hardest opponent, in the hardest building, with Embiid finally looking like the center of a real postseason run. (nba.com)