The boston celtics they keep in suspense the dream of the Philadelphia 76ers to return to a conference final of the nba since 2001, since with a 95-86 victory on Thursday night, the Verdiblancos avoided losing the series and extended it until Game 7, which will be held on Sunday and with the home advantage, at the TD Garden.
For the Celtics there was no other option but victory in Game 6, held in Philadelphia, if they wanted to continue alive in the 2023 playoffs of the nbaand although they had 21,337 fans against them, they managed to impose their offensive versatility to balance the series to 3-3 and arrive with factors in favor for the decisive game.
And it is that in addition to the fact that Game 7 will be before his people in Bostonthe Celtics they have in their favor the emotional boost from the victory on Thursday, which imposes nervousness on their rival despite the fact that he has two modern stars from the nba like Joel Embiid and James Harden.
The Sixers are desperate for revenge after snapping a losing streak of four conference semifinals in the last five seasons and are looking with a lot of impetus to return to their first conference finals since 2001, when they finished as runners-up in the conference. nba against the Lakers.
That was the goal Philadelphia had in Game 6 against the Celticsbut an outstanding performance by Marcus Smart and of Jason Tatum He denied them access to that dream. Smart contributed 22 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists for Boston’s victory, while Tatum, selected to the last All-Star Game, contributed 19 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.
This was the eighth time in the history of the nba that the Celtics they won a sixth game and avoided being eliminated in the playoff series and in four of their seven records they managed to prevail in the final game, so the omen is positive for next Sunday night.
That statistic is combined with the fact that Philadelphia 76ers They have lost 9 out of 10 games when they play Game 7 as a visitor, according to data from sports statistics specialist Alexis Martín Tamayo (@2010MisterChip).
Jayson Tatum stood out at the end of the game with two triples that fell with less than five minutes left on the clock and Philadelphia he was up on the scoreboard by 83-81. In total, he finished the last quarter with 16 points, more than all those who scored the Sixers in that same period, because they kept 13.
The Celtics They are the current runners-up of the nba after losing 4-2 to the warriors in the Finals last year and are in search of their 18th title, which separates them from the lakers as the most winners in league history. To achieve victory over Philadelphia on Sunday they will get their fourth conference final in the last seven seasons, a positive balance for Tatum and company.
For their part, the Sixers they counted on the 26-point push from Joel Embiid and 26 more from Tyrese Maxey in Game 6, but the strategy of releasing PJ Tucker in the corner on a regular basis gave them revenue. Celticsbecause the veteran of Philadelphia he made just two of his seven 3-pointers.
