76ers rally in Boston, win Game 7 109–100 to clinch series

Philadelphia just pulled off the kind of playoff win that sticks to a franchise for years. The 76ers went into Boston on Saturday, M(apnews.com) is what it snapped — Philadelphia had never come back from 3-1 in a best-of-seven series before, and Boston became the team that let it happen. (apnews.com) ### How big was this comeback? Huge — and not in the lazy sports-TV way. The Sixers became just the 14th team in NBA (nba.com)date said they had been 0-18 all time in series where they fell behind 3-1 before this one. So this was not normal franchise business. This was a door they had never walked through before. (apnews.com) ### Who actually won the game? Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey won the game, basically. Embiid finis(apnews.com) That is star-level production from both guys in the same elimination game, on the road, in Boston. ESPN called it one of Embiid’s best playoff performances, and the box score backs that up. (espn.com) ### What happened to Boston? The cleanest explanation is that Bo(apnews.com). Boston made a real push in the fourth — Fox’s play-by-play shows an 18-4 Celtics run that cut the margin to four — but the Sixers never fully lost control. They bent, then Maxey and Embiid pushed the game back out. (nba.com) ### Why does “Jayson Tatum-less” matter so much? Because it changes the shape of the loss. A(espn.com) of their offense and absorbs the biggest possessions. That does not erase what Philadelphia did. But it does explain why this result will sting even more in Boston — Game 7 at home, against a team you led 3-1, without your main star available, and still out. (apnews.com) ### Was this just one(nba.com)ed Game 7 by winning Game 6, and this result completed three straight elimination wins after the Celtics had the series in hand. That is the part people mean when they talk about playoff nerve. One upset can happen. Three straight when your season is over if you slip once — that is structure, not luck. (usatoday.com) ### What does this u(apnews.com) echoed it. So the reward for surviving Boston is not rest or relief. It is a fast pivot into another high-pressure Eastern series, now with the emotional weight flipped — Philadelphia goes from haunted team to dangerous team in about 48 hours. (nba.com) ### Why will this one linger? Because it hits both franchises in the exact sore (usatoday.com) and done anyway. Those are the losses fans do not file away. They replay them. (apnews.com) ### Bottom line The score was 109-100, but the story is bigger than nine points. Philadelphia changed one of its oldest playoff truths on May 2. Now the Sixers get New York — and for once, they arrive carrying a comeback instead of a scar. (apnews.com)