ET phoned home. Rocky Balboa battled Thunderlips. Thriller, he he, was released. Atari brought Qbert to your local arcade. Joan Jett loved rock and roll. Big hair and leg warmers were a style. GI Joe was still battling enemies. Olivia Newton-John got physical. David Letterman and Larry “Bud” Melman became popular, one more than the other. Gas cost 91 cents per gallon. Jeff Spicoli uttered the words, “Hey Bud, what’s your problem?”

1982.

Forty-four years ago.

Nearly four and a half decades.

Two generations.

Oh, it was also the last time the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics in a playoff series. Well, until this year that is.

I was 15 years old the last time the Sixers beat the Celtics in the playoffs. For the second year straight, the Sixers built a 3-1 lead in the series. In 1981, the Celtics came all the way back courtesy of a Larry Bird dagger. The next year the Sixers avoided back to back choke jobs by winning game 7. They would go on to lose to the Magical Lakers in the NBA Championship.

The Sixers would lose to the Celtics again in 1985, then fall into the abyss for the better part of twenty years. This year was the fourth time in nine years that the Sixers and Celtics met in the playoffs. The one constant for the Sixers in these four matchups was Joel Embiid. Before this year Embiid was 0 for 3 versus the Celtics in the playoffs.

This series was another example of my sports fanaticism. If you are a faithful listener of my podcast you know I can’t stomach the NBA. The lack of defense, every offense being three point centered, and poor officiating that could easily lead you to think the league is rigged. I have been a Sixers fan since the late 70’s, and I couldn’t stop myself from taking a bit of an interest in the series.

I didn’t hold out much hope for the Sixers, and as usual Embiid missed the first three games of the series with an injury. This time he was felled by an appendectomy, of all things. With Embiid, the Sixers could match the Celtics frontline talent. The Celtics depth was significantly better. Again, my hope meter was running low.

Down 3 games to 1, my meter hit empty. It was especially disheartening that the Sixers one victory was without Embiid. In game three, Philadelphia had Boston on the ropes. Then Boston flipped the switch late in the game and pulled away. A game four blowout with Embiid on the floor had things looking bleaker than bleak for Philly.

The Sixers were 0-18 when down three games to one in playoff series. Only one team had ever come back after losing two games by more than 30 points, as the Sixers did in this series. Needless to say, the odds were significantly stacked against the Sixers.

Marginally easy victories for Philly after the game four blowout was a bit shocking. It sent the series back to Boston all even. That is where history doesn’t just favor the Celtics, but it slaps the Sixers in the face like a jilted lover. The Sixers never beat Boston in Boston in a playoff series deciding game. Add that to the other stats mentioned above, and it still seemed unlikely the 76ers could pull this off.

This time the basketball Gods were on the Sixers side. Star Celtic, Jason Tatum, would not be able to play due to a knee injury he suffered late in game six. The Sixers jumped out early in game seven, dominating the first quarter with Joel Embiid, Paul George, and rookie VJ Edgecombe leading the way. Then typical of most NBA games, the Celtics came storming back to keep it tight at the half.

A dominating third period had Philly sitting pretty, only to see the see saw go back the Celtics way in the fourth. Fortunately for the Sixers, the Celtics went cold late and all of the bad streaks came to an end for the 76ers.

The Process, a Sam Hinkie induced rebuild strategy is long in the rearview mirror. The last few years feel like a team clinging to hope that Joel Embiid can finally lead his team to the promised land. I was always a firm believer that Embiid should have been traded and the team be rebuilt around Tyrese Maxey.

Embiid is in the process of saying, “Not so fast, my friend.”

When he is healthy, mentally ready, and on his game, Embiid provides a massive mismatch with just about everyone he goes up against. Will Embiid and company maintain their mindset against the Knicks or rest on their laurels from the first series.

The Knicks are next up and if game one is an indication, the Sixers could be in trouble.

For now, the Sixers are riding high. They forced an old NBA hating grump like me to pay attention. Beating the Celtics is always a great thing. However, if the Sixers want to be taken seriously —especially based on the Sixers themselves stating they were finally at full strength— they need to keep winning. Otherwise the Celtics series will just be a blip on the NBA radar.

If the Sixers can break a 44 year old streak, then a 43 year old streak of beating the Knicks in the playoffs should be a breeze.

Tweet of the Week

This 76ers fan was shown a couple of times during game seven. She made the most of breaking a 44 year old streak. You go girl.

 


The Weekly Shiny Penny

How about a follow up Shiny Penny this week, as Pirate Jake Mangum meets the kids he threw the ball to a week ago.

 


A Penny For My Final Thoughts…

Some Pittsburgh related final thoughts…

  • The Pens have a lot of interesting offseason decisions, none more interesting than what to do with 40 year old Pens legend Evgeni Malkin.
  • Ben Kindel is going to be a great centerpiece of future Pens teams.
  • Why are the Steelers, supposedly one of the premiere franchises historically speaking, playing this silly waiting game with a 42 1/2 year old diva quarterback. Tell him to take a hike and let’s move forward.
  • Different coach. Different offense. Same compulsion to sign as many tight ends as humanly possible.
  • Konnor Griffin is going to be an absolute stud. The ball just explodes off his bat.
  • Braxton Ashcroft will continues to to be a great under the radar pitcher for the Pirates.
  • The Pirates showed the Reds have many weaknesses.
  • The NL Central will be there for the taking. Every team is going to have ups and downs. Nobody will stretch out a big lead.
  • The Pirates have gotten terrible weather in many home games this year.
  • The Pirates could be in the market for an old friend, as they keep an eye on Aroldis Chapman.
Just my two cents…