The Philadelphia 76ers will meet the Boston Celtics for Game 7 of this Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup on Sunday. With a chance to close out the Celtics after taking a 3-2 lead, the Sixers folded at home in the fourth quarter and allowed Boston to get new life after winning Game 6.
With a winner take all Game on Sunday, the stakes will be high, and each team will face ramifications if they lose. With a weird series all together, each team should go into the game with confidence, but a Game 7 of this magnitude tends to rattle some players. With everything on the line on Sunday, let’s take a look at how the Sixers have fared in game 7:
Philadelphia 76ers’ history in Game 7
The 76ers have a 6-11 record all-time in Game 7 in the NBA Playoffs and looking to improve on that record Sunday. Their most recent losses include a meltdown at home to the Atlanta Hawks in 2021, that lead to the entire summer and half a season of Ben Simmons drama. Another loss the 76ers endured was the infamous loss to the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
This was an emotional loss for the entire fan base and 76er organization. Kawhi Leonard’s shot that bounce four times on the rim before falling in, doomed the Sixers and changed the trajectory of co-stars for Joel Embiid. Both Jimmy Butler and JJ Reddick departed that offseason, leaving Embiid feeling somewhat unhappy.
The 76ers’ most recent Game 7 success came during the Allen Iverson era in their 2001 NBA Finals run. During that run the 76ers defeated Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors at home 88-87 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. They also defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 108-91 at home in Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals, to represent the Eastern Conference in finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Can Doc Rivers Be Trusted in Game 7?
Doc Rivers will be coaching in his 16th Game 7 with a current record of 6-9 all-time. Rivers has had some success but more recently picked up some brutal losses as a head coach.
He has lost four straight Game 7’s including the 2019 loss against the Hawks as the Sixers, losses against Denver and Houston in game 7 after being up 3-1 with the Los Angeles Clippers. Rivers in 3-5 in his last eight Game 7 appearances, with one of those wins ironically coming against the 76ers in 2012 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
History may not be on the 76ers’ side when it comes to their game 7 appearances, but you have to hope this Game is different. Resilience has been a theme all season for this team, can they show some fight one more time.
Can they get past their nemesis? With legacies on the line, you can expect this team to scratch and claw for everything and hopefully it helps lead to a win.
