By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Sixers got a 52-50 lead one minute before the end of the first half in Boston and everything seemed possible. However, Jason Tatum decided to call the game.
First, he made a big three, getting a 55-52 advantage, and then led the Celtics to a furious third period which ended with the score being 88-62 on the way to an easy 112-88 win over Philadelphia in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Tatum finished the game with 51 points, breaking Steph Curry’s recent record, Jaylen Brown scored 25 and the Celtics led the Sixers to just 10 points in the third quarter.
Season MVP Joel Embiid finished the game with 15 points, not having any answer against Boston in the second half. Tobias Harris with 19 points was the top scorer of the losing side, while James Hardan had nine points, six rebounds, and seven assists.
Turkish sharpshooter Furkan Korkmaz stepped on the court for four minutes when everything was decided registering one rebound and one assist for the losing side.
The Celtics will face the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, completing a rematch of the 2020 NBA Conference Finals, the season which ended in the Orlando Bubble due to COVID.
As it happened then, the Lakers and the Nuggets also faced each other in the Western Conference Finals. Back at the time, the Heat had prevailed against the Celtics and ultimately lost to the Lakers in the Finals.