The Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets are both one win away from reaching the Eastern and Western Conference Finals respectively, They have advanced over the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns with a 3-2 lead in the second round of the playoffs.
At the TD Garden, the Cameroonian giant Joel Embiid shined in the Celtics’ stronghold, leading the 76ers to a 115-103 victory with 33 points and 7 rebounds, The game saw the visitors extend their lead to 21 points in the final quarter, and they have the opportunity to close out the series on Thursday when they host Game 6.
However, if the scenario of the third game, which the 76ers lost 102-114 at home, repeats itself, the decision will be postponed to a decisive Game 7 on the legendary green team’s home court.
Realizing that denying the Celtics back-to-back conference finals appearances won’t be easy, Embiid emphasized that “the job is not done, We need to win another game” in order to qualify for the conference finals for the first time since the 2000-2001 season when the 76ers reached the league finals under coach Larry Brown and the legend Allen Iverson before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Embiid holds the belief that the performance they showcased tonight might have appeared less challenging to the spectators than it truly was.
However, he emphasizes the importance of replicating their success.
Embiid has scored 30 or more points in three consecutive games in this series and received effective support from Tyrese Maxey and James Harden on Tuesday, Maxey also scored 30 points, including 6 three-pointers, while Harden contributed 17 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds.
“This is the essence of the playoffs.”
Jayson Tatum was the Celtics’ top performer with 36 points, but he only succeeded in 11 out of 27 attempts, while Jaylen Brown contributed 24 points in a game where their team struggled from beyond the arc, making only 12 three-pointers out of 38 attempts.
Tatum admitted, “I think it (the ability to compete and win) was absent from us.”
The Celtics hope to repeat the same scenario as last season in the same round when they came back from a 2-3 deficit against the Milwaukee Bucks and advanced to the conference finals with a 4-3 victory before being eliminated by the Miami Heat (4-3) and failing to win their first championship since 2008 and their 18th in their legendary history.
After finishing the first quarter with a 33-26 lead and the second quarter with a 25-23 lead, the 76ers extended their advantage to 19 points in the third quarter and entered the final quarter with an 88-72 lead, However, the Celtics rallied and reduced the gap to 11 points before the home team responded with a 10-2 run, taking a 102-83 lead, which was enough to secure the victory.
