Embiid and Maxey power 76ers to Game 7 win, eliminate Celtics

Philadelphia just pulled off the kind of series win that changes how a whole playoff bracket feels. The 76ers went into Boston for Game 7 on May 2 and beat the Celtics 109-100, finishing a comeback from a 3-1 hole. That is rare on its own. Doing it on the road, against a 56-win team, with Joel Embiid carrying a huge load on both ends — that is the part people will remember. ### Why does this hit so hard? Because Boston was supposed to be one of the East’s sturdier teams, and Philadelphia looked half-dead a week ago. The Celtics were up 3-1 in the series. Then the Sixers won Game 5 in Boston, controlled Game 6 at home, and came back again in the clincher. Only 14 teams in NBA history have erased a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven series, so this is not normal playoff noise — it is a real collapse on one side and a real rescue on the other. (espn.com) ### What did Embiid actually do? He was the center of everything. Embiid finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists, and the game kept bending toward him whenever Boston threatened. He scored inside, got to the line, and protected the rim. There was also the emotional part — he played lik(espn.com)it arguably the best playoff game of his career, and that does not feel like a stretch. (espn.com) ### Where did Maxey swing it? Late. That is what makes his night feel bigger than the box score. Maxey scored 31, but the key stretch came when Boston had cut the lead and the building was waking up. He answered with back-to-back layups in crunch time, the kind of poss(espn.com)sically that is right — Philadelphia needed a closer, and Maxey became him. (nba.com) ### What happened to Boston? The biggest thing is simple — Jayson Tatum did not play. He was ruled out for Game 7 with left knee stiffness, which completely changed Boston’s shot creation ceiling before the ball even went up. That does not excuse everything. The Celtics also just did not shoot well enough, and their offense(nba.com). But losing Tatum in a win-or-go-home game is the kind of blow that shrinks every option. (nba.com) ### How did the Sixers grab control early? They came out organized and aggressive. Philadelphia led 32-19 after the first quarter, and Embiid plus Maxey either scored or assisted on all 32 points in that opening frame. That matters because Game 7s can get weird fast — tight legs, rushed shots, crowd swings. The Sixers avoided that by dictating the first punch(nba.com)iately. (espn.com) ### So what changes now? The bracket changes, obviously, but the bigger shift is in how people talk about Philadelphia. A week ago the question was whether Embiid’s body would hold up long enough to finish the series. Now the Sixers are in the second round against New (espn.com) concerns. But it does buy Philadelphia something precious in May — belief. (msn.com) ### Bottom line? This was not just a survival game. It was a reputation game. Embiid and Maxey won it together, Boston is out, and the East suddenly looks a lot less settled than it did four days ago.