Boston did not pass up the opportunity. Without being irresistible, the Celtics took advantage of the collective weakness of Philadelphia to finish the job this Sunday (110-106) and win a fourth victory, in four games, which sends them to the second round more easily than expected.
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Philadelphia had shown some signs of life in the first half and led by one point at the break (58-57). Led by their two leaders Kemba Walker (32 points) and Jasyon Tatum (28 points, 15 rebounds), who shared the offensive leadership from one half to the next, the Celtics were hung until the end of the third quarter-time (77-77, 33rd).
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They then passed a 14-0 to fly (91-77), after including a successful three-point shot from a distance of nine meters by Tatum three seconds from the quarter-time buzzer.
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Swirl in view from the Philadelphia side
This decisive series was preceded by the exit of Sixers winger Tobias Harris (20 points), who had to leave the field with a bloody face after a heavy fall on the head under the basket of his team. He came back into play at the end of the match but without being able to influence its outcome. It was too much for Philadelphia, who already recorded the package of playmaker Ben Simmons, injured a knee just after the resumption of the season.
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Sixth in the Eastern Conference as they were among title contenders, Joel Embiid (30 points to 8 of 18 on shots, 10 rebounds) and his teammates hoped to worry Boston more, whom they had dominated three times out of four in the season. regular and who has been without winger Gordon Hayward since Game 1 of the series.
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This premature exit risks causing quite a stir within an ambitious franchise which followed a sports construction project – the famous “process” – which was to lead it very high.
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Boston, for its part, is a big outsider in the conference. First qualified for the second round, Jayson Tatum and his teammates will face the winner of the Toronto-Brooklyn series, whose fourth game takes place on the night from Sunday to Monday. Toronto, defending champion leads three wins to zero.
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