76ers complete 3-1 comeback

Philadelphia finally did the thing that has haunted this franchise for years — it finished. The 76ers went into Boston on May 2 and won Game 7, 109-100, wiping out a 3-1 series deficit and sending the Celtics out in the first round. That is a giant result on its own. But the bigger reason it lands so hard is that this team looked cooked less than a week earlier, and now it has turned the whole East bracket sideways. (apnews.com) ### What actually happened in Game 7? Philadelphia controlled almost the whole night. The Sixers led for all but about one minute, got the big scoring nights they needed from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, and never let Boston fully turn the game into the usual Garden avalanche. Embiid(apnews.com)he final score was 109-100, but the bigger story was how steady Philadelphia looked while the season was on the line. (espn.com) ### Why was Boston so vulnerable? The biggest immediate factor was Jayson Tatum’s absence. He was ruled out before Game 7 with left knee stiffness, which changed the whole geometry of Boston’s offense. A Celtics team that normally survives rough stretches(espn.com)in this series — but it absolutely changed the ceiling of what the Celtics could be in the decider. (apnews.com) ### How bad did this look for Philly before the comeback? Very bad. Boston blasted Philadelphia 128-96 in Game 4 to go up 3-1, and that game felt like the series ending in real time. Embiid had only just returned after an appendectomy, the Sixers looked out of rhythm, and their histor(apnews.com) behind 3-1. So this was not some routine rally. It was the franchise pushing through a door it had never opened before. (espn.com) ### Why does this feel bigger than one series? Because the opponent was Boston. The Celtics have been a recurring playoff wall for Philadelphia, and the Sixers had not won a playoff series against them since 1982. That is more than a stat — it is the emotional weight of decades of “same old Sixers” talk. Winning a Game 7 in Boston(espn.com)o reject that script. (nba.com) ### Was this an Embiid game or a Maxey game? Both, and that is the point. Embiid was the anchor — scoring, rebounding, creating, settling the offense when possessions got messy. Maxey was the release valve — speed, downhill pressure, and late baskets that kept Boston from turning momentum into a run. Phil(nba.com) Sixers got the version where both engines were running at once. (espn.com) ### What changes now? The bracket moves fast. Philadelphia advances to face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Game 1 set for Monday, May 4, in New York. So there is not much time for a victory lap. The Sixers got the breakthro(espn.com)nst a fresh opponent. (nba.com) ### Why will people remember this one? Because comebacks from 3-1 are rare, and because this one hit every pressure point at once — rivalry, road Game 7, franchise baggage, and a superstar whose playoff story is always under a microscope. Philadelphia did not just survive. It flipped the emotional balance(nba.com)ar ending. Instead, they gave themselves a new one — and maybe a new version of who they are in May.