The first round of the NBA concluded over the weekend, where three Game 7s produced two historic comebacks as the Eastern Conference semi-finals began.
Six silenced the critics
Joel Embiid posted 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists as the Philadelphia 76ers stunned the Boston Celtics 109-100 on Saturday night at TD Garden, completing only the 14th comeback from a 3-1 deficit in NBA playoff history.
Tyrese Maxey added 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, and his double drive in the last 90 seconds proved that the Celtics went up within one point in the fourth quarter.
VJ Edgecombe contributed 23 points in a game that marked another chapter in his rookie season.
Embiid and Maxey became just the third duo in league history to record 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in Game 7.
Embiid, returning from emergency appendectomy surgery that kept him out of the first three games, finished as the first player in NBA history to score 100 points in a playoff series despite missing the first three games.
The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum, who was ruled out shortly after suffering a strained left knee, and Joe Mazzulla overhauled his starting lineup, giving first-play starts to Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr.
The Sixers took a 9-0 lead before Boston scored and never led. Philadelphia’s 44-year wait to win a playoff series against Boston is over, and they move on to face the third-seeded New York Knicks in the second round. Game 1 is Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
“I really wanted football,” said Maxey. “I knew I was going to have to pull my socks up to win the game, so it just happened that way.”
Allen is rooting for the Cavaliers
Jarrett Allen launched his career as the Cleveland Cavaliers ended the Toronto Raptors’ season with a 114-102 Game 7 victory at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Sunday.
Allen, playing in his first Game 7, finished with 22 points and 19 rebounds and was the man of the match in the third quarter as Cleveland outscored Toronto 38-19 to take control of the game at halftime.
“That’s the best I’ve seen,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Offensive rebounding. We needed inside points. We needed someone to step up besides James [Harden] and Don [Mitchell]. He was absolutely incredible tonight.”
Donovan Mitchell added 22 points and James Harden 18, and the Cavs won convincingly despite both star guards struggling to perform well.
Mitchell drew a broad lesson from that. “We had 50 possessions, we had a bad night, but in the end, we didn’t make it. It wasn’t just me and him. Jarrett, Evan. [Mobley]. That’s everyone in that locker room.”
Scottie Barnes scored 24 points for Toronto, and RJ Barrett added 23 in the Raptors’ final game of the season – their campaign hampered by injuries to Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley.
Cleveland advances to face the top-seeded Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Game 1 on Tuesday in Detroit.
The perfect Pistons are back in Detroit
The Detroit Pistons became the second team this postseason — and the 15th in NBA history — to overcome a 3-1 series deficit, routing the Orlando Magic 116-94 at a roaring Little Caesars Arena to win the series and reach the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2008.
Cade Cunningham impressed for the second straight game with 32 points and 12 assists, becoming the seventh player in NBA history to post 30 points and 10 assists in Game 7.
Tobias Harris added 30 points and nine rebounds. Jalen Duren saved his best performance for the big event, finishing with 15 points and 15 rebounds.
“Coming back from 3-1, not having a match with us, and coming back to win it at home feels good,” said Cunningham. “It feels really good.”
The Magic, who lost Franz Wagner to a calf strain before Game 5, couldn’t contain Cunningham without their most reliable defender.
Paolo Banchero scored Orlando’s first 11 points on the way to 38 points, nine rebounds and six assists, but he didn’t get meaningful support.
After the teams were tied 45-45 in the second quarter, the Pistons went on a 26-6 run that ended any hope of an upset.
“I know who I am, I know who the team is,” said Duren. “When our backs are against the wall, the whole world is counting on us, that now is the time to go. Now, it’s time to keep swinging. I never doubted anything. I never doubted the boys.”
