B/R NBA Staff: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Game 7 Predictions
Thanks in large part to a furious rally from Jayson Tatum during the last four minutes and change of Thursday's 95-86 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, the Boston Celtics are headed home for an Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 7 for the second year in a row.
Tatum was 1-of-14 from the field during the first 43 minutes of Game 6, but he drilled four game-changing threes in the final five minutes while Sixers stars Joel Embiid and James Harden wilted down the stretch.
All three, plus Jaylen Brown, now have a chance to reset ahead of a crucial Game 7. And Bleacher Report's NBA staff has you covered with predictions on how it will go down.
Are Things Coming Together for Boston?
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Even in victory during Game 6, the Celtics made it extremely difficult to trust them entering Game 7.
I'm going to do it anyway.
Jayson Tatum can't sleepwalk through the first three quarters forever, and I have to imagine Al Horford will make a wide-open triple eventually. Head coach Joe Mazzulla may need to be more conservative with Robert Williams III's minutes than he was in Game 6. The spacing didn't look great during those stretches, and while he pitched in as the helper and rotator defensively, he doesn't look like the same player, at least physically, on that end of the floor.
Still, part of the Celtics' appeal lies in their struggles. Tatum turned in one of his worst performances ever through the first three quarters of Game 6; Horford suddenly looks his age; Boston got stripped on, like, every third drive to start the second half Thursday night; Derrick White has stopped spitting fire; and, well, they still won.
Not only did they win, but the Celtics initially built a 16-point lead. Squandering it wasn't pretty. Getting it back wasn't all that gorgeous, either. But they fended off the Sixers because they have the depth to ride out star-player ruts and the defensive optionality to mix up—and, ultimately, juice up—their defense on Joel Embiid and James Harden.
Philly doesn't have as many buttons to push, as many counters to call upon. Detonations from Harden and Embiid can, like always, change everything. And it wouldn't be surprising, at all, if the Sixers won. But taking Game 7 on the road, against a team that remains deeper even as it condenses the rotation, is really friggin' hard.
Tatum Won't Struggle That Badly, That Early Again
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The Boston Celtics just beat the Philadelphia 76ers on the road. In a potential closeout game. With Jayson Tatum shooting a dismal 5-of-21 from the field.
For much of the second half, that game seemed tailor-made for Philly. Yet the Sixers lost. And it's hard to imagine Tatum going 1-of-14 from the field over the first 43 minutes of Game 7.
In front of their home crowd, Tatum will almost certainly shoot better (his true shooting percentage was almost four points higher in home games during the regular season). As the old adage goes, role players are typically better at home during the playoffs, too (though Boston's were fine in Game 6).
The Celtics seemed to discover something in starting Robert Williams III. He and Horford started the bulk of Boston's games last season, but Joe Mazzulla was partial to a smaller group. Against Joel Embiid, it makes sense to go big, and Williams was a team-high plus-18 on Thursday.
After a couple disappointing performances, everything seems to be lining up the way many anticipated before the series even started.
Game 6 Was Philly's Best Shot
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The Philadelphia 76ers had their best chance to put away the Boston Celtics in Game 6, but that window closed firmly Thursday.
The 76ers had the Celtics on the ropes. Jayson Tatum couldn't hit a shot, and Boston seemed on the edge of collapse. Instead, it was Philadelphia's offense that fell apart down the stretch. It took a few big shots from Tatum, who emerged from his slump just in time, for the Sixers to fall short.
Now they will find a different Celtics group in Boston for the series finale—a team that can't play worse than it did in the second half of Game 6.
That's not to say the 76ers won't make a game of it. The franchise has elite talent in MVP Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, etc. But the Celtics looked in the face of failure and said, "No, thanks." And the Sixers, over the past few years, just haven't shown fortitude in the biggest of playoff moments.
Sunday's game is as big as it gets. But Philadelphia will fall short again.
Final Predictions
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Boston Celtics: 3
Philadelphia 76ers: 0
Sorry, Philly. Boston moves on.
*Hit the comments to share your Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Game 7 prediction.
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