Boston defeated Philadelphia (112:88) and thereby secured a meeting with Miami in the finals of the Eastern Conference.
A lot of criticism could be heard against Jayson Tatum before this match, but the boy from St. Louis showed everyone that he is considered one of the best players in the NBA for a reason.
He scored 51 points, breaking the league record for most points scored in Game XNUMX of a playoff series, which was recently set by Steph Curry.
The low wing of the "Celts" was in a great rhythm from the beginning, the team from Pennsylvania matched in the first half, but the hosts demonstrated their strength in the third period, solving that quarter in their favor with a score of 33:10.
The fourth quarter was a formality, and Tatum came out with three minutes to go, with ovations from the stands of the packed "TD Garden".
With this victory, the team from Massachusetts set up a clash with Miami, which will be a repeat of the East Finals from 2020 and 2022, and it remains to be seen whether Boston can emulate the success of last season and play in the Grand Final again.
On the other hand, the team from the city of "brotherly love" was disappointed in the most important match of the season, so the 22-year fast will continue. The last time the Sixers played in the Conference Finals was in 2001, when Allen Iverson was the team's leader.
Joel Embiid and James Harden played disastrous games and are the main culprits of the defeat. The newly crowned MVP did not justify that epithet, scoring only 15 points, with a desperate shot from the field (5/18).
Harden finished the match with nine points (3/11 from the field), with five turnovers.
Jalen Brown added 25 points for the Celtics, while Tobias Harris with 19 and Tyris Maxey with 17 were the best individuals of the guests.
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