Philadelphia 76ers Look To Win First Playoff Series Over Boston Celtics Since 1982

Few cities care about sports more than Boston and Philadelphia. Fans obsessively follow the professional franchises, boasting when the teams win and criticizing them after losses. The results are really important to them.

This week, their attention is focused on the NBA playoffs as the No. 2 seed Celtics and No. 3 seed 76ers play in the Eastern Conference semifinals starting on Monday night in Boston.

During the regular season, the Celtics won three of the four games against the 76ers, including 126-117 at home in the season opener on Oct. 18. The 76ers lone victory came the last time the teams played when they won, 103-101, as center Joel Embiid had 52 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Embiid, who sprained his right knee in the first round series against the Atlanta Hawks, is listed as doubtful for Monday’s Game 1.

This is the 22nd time the 76ers and Celtics have faced each other in the playoffs, dating all the way back to 1953. The teams have been rivals since then and played in high-profile series, most notably when they met in the Eastern Conference finals four times in the 1950s, five times in the 1960s and four times in the 1980s.

The Celtics hold a 14-7 advantage, including five consecutive series victories. The 76ers last defeated the Celtics in the playoffs in the 1982 conference finals.

Here’s a look at the last eight Celtics-76ers playoff series, dating to 1980:

1980 Conference Finals – 76ers win 4-1

The Celtics had one of the best turnarounds in NBA history, going from 29-53 in the 1978-79 season to 61-21 in the 1979-80 season, which was the league’s best record. Rookie Larry Bird led the team with 21.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.

The 76ers, meanwhile, were the No. 3 seed and had perennial All-Star Julius Erving, who averaged 26.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. The teams split the first two games of the series in Boston before the 76ers won the final three games, including a 105-94 Game 5 win in Boston in which Philadelphia guard Lionel Hollins had a team-high 24 points.

The 76ers lost four games to two in the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers, who had the league’s Most Valuable Player in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and a rookie phenom in Magic Johnson. In Game 6 of the series, Johnson had a memorable performance with 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists as Abdul-Jabbar sat out with an injury.

1981 Conference Finals – Celtics win 4-3

Like a year earlier, the Celtics were the No. 1 seed and the 76ers the No. 3 seed even though they each had identical 62-20 records. They each tweaked their rosters from the previous season. The Celtics traded for center Robert Parish and drafted forward Kevin McHale, while the 76ers had a talented rookie in Andrew Toney. Erving won the NBA MVP that season, averaging 24.6 points and 8 rebounds per game.

In the playoffs, the Celtics gained some revenge from the previous year, coming back from a three games to one deficit to knock off the 76ers. Boston won Game 5 and 6 by two points and Game 7 by one point at the Boston Garden. The Celtics trailed by seven points with 5:23 left in Game 7 but outscored the 76ers 9-1 the rest of the way.

The Celtics then defeated the Houston Rockets four games to two to win their record 14th NBA title and first since 1976.

1982 Conference Finals – 76ers win 4-3

The rivalry continued with another memorable series. The Celtics again were the No. 1 seed with an NBA-best 63-19 record and the 76ers the No. 3 seed at 58-24.

For the second consecutive season, the 76ers took a three games to one lead before the Celtics won by 29 points in Game 5 and by 13 in Game 6. It was then back to Boston for Game 7, where the 76ers dominated, thanks to the one-two punch of Toney (34 points and six assists) and Erving (29 points, five assists, three steals and three blocks).

Near the end of that game, the Celtics’ fans chanted “Beat LA,” imploring the 76ers to beat the hated Lakers in the NBA Finals. But the Lakers ended up winning the series four games to two and defeating the 76ers for the second time in three years for the title.

1985 Conference Finals – Celtics win 4-1

The Celtics finished the regular season with an NBA-best 63-19 record, while the 76ers were the No. 3 seed with a 58-24 record. Both rosters were loaded with talent with five 76ers (Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley and Bobby Jones) and four Celtics (Bird, McHale, Parrish and Dennis Johnson) now enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame. Toney and Celtics guard Danny Ainge were elite players at the time, as well.

The series wasn’t a classic likes the ones in 1981 and 1982, though. The Celtics won the first three games before losing in Game 4 by 11 points. They closed it out in Game 5 in Boston, winning, 102-100, and advancing to face the Lakers for the second consecutive season in the NBA Finals.

The Celtics had won the 1984 title, but the Lakers won four games to two in 1985. They met again in the 1987 NBA Finals with the Lakers winning in six games.

2002 First Round – Celtics win 3-2

The teams met in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, although the stakes weren’t as high as in previous decades as this was an opening round series as opposed to a conference finals. The 76ers were the reigning conference champions and had a dynamic point guard in Allen Iverson. The Celtics, meanwhile, were a young team and in the playoffs for the first time since 1994.

The No. 3 seed Celtics won the first two games in Boston, while the No. 6 seed 76ers won the next two in Philadelphia to set up a decisive Game 5 in Boston. Back then, the first round series were best-of-five. The Celtics cruised to a 120-87 victory thanks to Paul Pierce’s 46 points and Antoine Walker’s 26 points to win their first playoff series in 10 years.

Boston won the next series against the Detroit Pistons before losing in six games in the conference finals to the New Jersey Nets.

2012 Conference Semifinals – Celtics win 4-3

The regular season was delayed until Christmas Day as the NBA’s owners and the players’ union haggled over the collective bargaining agreement. The season was shortened to 66 games with the Celtics securing the No. 4 seed and the 76ers the No. 8 seed.

In the first round, the 76ers upset the No. 1 seed Chicago Bulls, whose star point guard, Derrick Rose, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in Game 1 and center Joakim Noah missed the final three games due to an injury. It was Philadelphia’s first playoff series victory since 2003.

In the conference semifinals, the Celtics went ahead three games to two before the 76ers won, 82-75, to force a seventh game in Boston. The Celtics clinched the series, 85-75, with Kevin Garnett (18 points and 13 rebounds) and Rajon Rondo (18 points and 10 assists) leading the way. The Celtics then took a three games to two lead in the conference finals against the Miami Heat before LeBron James scored 45 points in Game 6 and 31 in Game 7 to clinch the series. The Heat ended up winning the NBA title in five games over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

2018 Conference Semifinals – Celtics win 4-1

The 76ers finished the regular season with a 52-30 record, third-best in the conference and a huge improvement from the previous season when they went 28-54. Embiid played in 63 games, up from 31 during the 2016-17 season and from zero in the previous two seasons, which he missed due to injury. Philadelphia had eight players average more than 10 points per game, led by Embiid (22.9 points and 11 rebounds), J.J. Redick (17.1 points) and Ben Simmons (15.8 points, 8.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds).

The Celtics, meanwhile, finished second in the conference with a 55-27 record and had a young nucleus of Kyrie Irving, who was 25; Jaylen Brown, who was 21; and Jayson Tatum, who was 19. They won the first three games of the series before the 76ers won, 103-92, in Game 4 in Philadelphia. The Celtics then won Game 5, 114-112, and advanced the conference finals, where they lost in seven games to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who would lose in the NBA finals to the Golden State Warriors.

2020 First Round – Celtics win 4-0

This occurred during the “bubble” playoffs in Orlando, Fla.. during the coronavirus pandemic. The 76ers played without Simmons, who had sustained a knee injury, although that was not a huge loss considering Simmons’ struggles in the playoffs. The Celtics were the No. 3 seed and the 76ers the No. 6 seed.

Embiid averaged 30 points and 12.3 rebounds per game in the series, but Philadelphia shot just 39.6% from the floor (26.4% on 3’s) and got swept. The Celtics won the four games by an average of nearly 12 points per game.

Boston won its next series in seven games over the reigning NBA champion Toronto Raptors before losing in six games to the Miami Heat in the conference finals.