Philadelphia 76ers 112-114 Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are heading to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Yes, you read that right. Brad Stevens’ team, missing key summer signings Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving, beat the highly favoured Philadelphia 76ers in five semi-final games.
Top betting sites back the Sixers to easily win the series against the injury-plagued Celtics. After all, how can a team without their superstars take down a young and rising squad that has been dubbed as a future powerhouse all season long?
As it turns out, all it takes is one coaching genius, an unselfish team and players who are hungry for victory. Well, playoff experience also played a huge role as Boston fended off the Sixers who tried to become the first team to come back from a 0-3 deficit.
Highlights of the game
The game was close up until the final minutes of the second quarter when Boston staged a huge 10-2 run to take a nine-point lead and close the half. The Celts even led by as much as 12 points before the Sixers started to chip away at the lead in the third frame.
Philadelphia, determined to make it 2-3 and bring the series back to Wells Fargo Center, came roaring back at the start of the second half behind All-Star Joel Embiid who scored 11 points in the quarter—all after making just 12 in the first half.
J.J. Redick was also pivotal, with his three-pointer with 21.3 seconds left in the third quarter allowing the Sixers to cut the lead to just one heading to the do-or-die fourth.
It was a see-saw affair in the decider as both teams failed to get a comfortable lead against the other. Boston went up by six midway through the payoff period, but Philly responded with a 9-2 run to give them the lead.
In the end, however, Philadelphia’s late-game struggles showed up once again. They had a shot at sending the game to overtime after Boston took a two-point advantage, but Ben Simmons’ desperation heave was stolen by Marcus Smart, which effectively sealed the win for the Beantown team.
Key Statistics
Balanced scoring was the key for Boston in the hard-fought victory. Six players scored in double figures for the Celts, with rookie sensation Jayson Tatum scoring 25 and showing Simmons—his co-rookie—who is better.
Simmons, for his part, produced a brilliant all-around effort with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Sixers. However, his four turnovers proved costly.
Al Horford had a near double-double for Boston with 15 points and eight boards as he provided much-needed stability on the paint. Starting centre Aron Baynes was impressive as well with 13 points and nine rebounds.
Smart, perhaps, had the biggest contribution to the team—at least defensively—as he finished with a box plus-minus 10, the highest out of all players in the team. The 24-year-old guard had 14 points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals.
While the stats don’t show it, Smart also did well defending Redick who can be deadly when given space. Redick ended with just 14 points and converted just two of his seven attempts from three-point territory.
Embiid and Dario Saric combined for 54 points and 22 rebounds in a losing effort for the Sixers.
While Philly dominated the glass and had a better ball distribution, their turnovers doomed them. They turned the ball over 16 times as Boston finished with 12 steals—not really the best way to play a high-stakes basketball game.
What’s next?
With the win, Boston secured their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals. They are now set to play LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers who recently surprised basketball betting with their sweep of the Toronto Raptors.
It’s Boston’s second straight Eastern Conference Finals appearance, having reached the conference finals last year. They also played Cleveland back then but was no match with the LeBron-led squad who finished them in five games.
For Philly, they can hold their heads high for giving Boston a good fight. Playoff inexperience has always been the issue for them as this is the first time they made the postseason with their young core. In fact, the last time they made it to the playoffs, Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday were still with them.
Now, the team can continue “The Process” and learn from this experience. Basketball betting tips project them to be the next best team in the East, and that is not far-fetched considering what they have shown this year.
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