76ers vs. Celtics Headlines Historic NBA Viewership Ratings for 1st Round of Playoffs

The first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs made history, highlighted by the Philadelphia 76ers' seven-game series win over the Boston Celtics.

The league announced Tuesday that Game 7 between the 76ers and Celtics averaged 11 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, becoming the most-watched first-round Game 7 in NBA history and the most-watched first-round contest in 27 years.

The entire first round of the playoffs averaged four million viewers per game and represented the most-viewed first round in 33 years, per the announcement.

Six of the eight first-round matchups went at least six games, with three Game 7 clashes taking place.

This included Philadelphia's triumph over Boston in which the team overcame a 3-1 series deficit to win Game 7 on the road by the final score of 109-100.

It marked the first 3-1 comeback in 76ers history, as they were an NBA-record 0-18 when facing a 3-1 deficit prior to the series finale (h/t ESPN's Tim Bontemps). The Celtics were also 32-0 when holding a 3-1 series lead prior to the defeat.

Philadelphia's win was particularly impressive considering star center Joel Embiid was forced to miss three games during the series while recovering from appendicitis.