The Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics will square off for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Sunday.
Just as the tip-off time was changed according to the results of Game 6 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, Sunday’s Game 7 between the Celtics and Sixers was scheduled to be timed.
If the Lakers take care of their business and beat the Warriors in Game 6, they don’t need a Game 7. So the Sixers and Celtics battled it out at 3:30 p.m. in Boston. The game airs on ABC.
The winner of Sunday’s matchup will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The losers will pack up and focus on the 2023 off-season.
The 2023 NBA Playoffs are off to a great start for the Sixers. After being seeded 3rd and taking a first round series against the 6th seeded Brooklyn Nets, the Sixers had no problem taking care of business in the first round as they defeated Brooklyn in four games.
After sweeping their first round series early, the Sixers took a bye week between the first and second rounds. The Sixers and Celtics began the second round series after the Boston Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks in six games.
Lacking missing star center Joel Embiid, the Sixers defeated the Celtics in Game 1. When the two teams met again for Game 2, Embiid was back in action. But his return didn’t give Philadelphia the boost it needed to clear its first leg on the road.
The Celtics pulled off a dominant win in Game 2 and a stunning Game 3 win on the road. For the first time this year, the Sixers fell behind in the playoffs. Philly bounced back with two straight wins, once at home and once away.
With a 3-2 lead in the series, the Sixers have a chance to eliminate the Celtics in Game 6 on Thursday night. Unfortunately, the Celtics aren’t ready to call it a season just yet.
Boston pushed through to Game 7 with a 95–86 victory over Philadelphia. Now both the teams will be face to face for the seventh and last time on Sunday after the season.