The 76ers got their chance in Philly. They blew it away on Thursday when their points dwindled in the fourth quarter and Jayson Tatum came on. The same Tatum who decided at the last minute (after starting the game on a 15-try streak) defeated the Philadelphia players from start to finish this Sunday. The Celtics star broke the scoring record just signed by Stephen Curry in the seventh game of the playoffs. The Celtics will repeat the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, the big upset of the postseason.
Tatum finished the game with 51 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists, after a streak of 17 baskets with 28 attempts from the field, including 6 triples with 10 attempts. He alternated shots to the basket, shots from mid-range and those deadly three-pointers. After the game, defeated Joel Embiid, the NBA’s top regular-season player, gave him a hug and paid tribute to his performance.
The Eastern Finals are the same as last year, this time with home advantage for the Celtics. In 2022, the streak reached seven games and was decided in the final moments of the final game. With the score 96-98 and 17 seconds left, Game 6 hero Jimmy Butler missed the winning shot for the Miami Heat without much resistance before the Celtics rounded out their win.
The players from Boston are the clear favorites to repeat the conference title and reach the NBA finals against the winner of the duel between the Los Angeles Lakers under LeBron James and the Denver Nuggets under Nikola Jokic. The Celtics have a much stronger block, a team with many variables. The scoring prowess of Jayson Tautum and Jaylen Brown are joined by the defensive prowess of Al Horford and Marcus Smart and the strengths of Robert Williamas to complete a powerful and complete starting five. As if that wasn’t enough, Malcolm Brogdon has secured the title of Best Man in the League and Derrick White is one of the top seventh.
For Philadelphia, the distance opens up a potential identity crisis. The team failed to take full advantage of the prime years of top scorer and top player of the regular season, Joel Embiid. There was a period of rebuilding, but this year they had a real chance to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in more than 20 years (and second time in 40).
The one who leaves the duel against the Celtics behind the most is James Harden. He’s a talented player and capable of scoring at festivals, but was shipwrecked in front of the Celtics’ demanding defense. In the team’s four losses, he left a string of shots with a pathetic success rate.
a difficult start
The 76ers started the game better, thanks in large part to three consecutive 3-pointers from PJ Tucker. They ended the first quarter six points clear (23-29), although neither Embiid nor Harden finished the duel. It was a difficult beginning. A run by the Celtics in the second quarter allowed the locals to level the difference and take the lead mid-game (55-52).
This time Jayson Tatum was strong from the start and went into halftime with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Jaylen Brown followed with 13 points in the first half. For the 76ers, Embiid made his way through the ring after a discreet start and the Celtics were only able to stop him due to fouls, but without being overjoyed. He’s reached midgame with 13 points and two blocks, but with only one rebound and no assists. PJ Tucker stayed in the 11 of the first quarter and Tyrese Maxey added 10 after hitting two triples. The greatest concern of the people of Philadelphia was once again James Harden. He settled down with a streak of 2 baskets in 8 field goals (including zero-of-3 in triples) and a few shots that didn’t even touch the ring.
The Sixers needed the Harden, who needed great opportunities in the second half, but he wasn’t in Boston this Sunday. Embiid lost to a Horford who never let him play comfortably. And the team’s shot rate on 3-pointers was a disaster, as Tatum (and to a lesser extent Brown, who finished with 25 points) kept hitting 3-pointers for the Celtics.
When the Celtics ran away by more than 20 points late in the third quarter, it felt like only a miracle could save the 76ers. That miracle never came. The third quarter ended with a 33-10 run in favor of Boston, almost humiliating the Philadelphia players, who didn’t recover in the fourth quarter either. In the end it was 112-88 after many minutes of nonsense, something unusual in a seventh qualifier.
What had been an exciting, to-the-limit game in the first half, with a good handful of technical fouls and controversial refereeing decisions, turned into a triumph for the Celtics in the closing stages, with Embiid and Harden suffering a helpless defeat on the bench. And Tatum is resting too, happy after making history.
You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on Facebook and Twitteror sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.