128:120, Celtics beat the Hawks on the road.
This is the third time the Greens have come to Atlanta in a week, and they are still encountering stubborn resistance from the Eagles.
The Eagles didn't give up hope until the end, but 2nd in the league is 2nd in the league after all.
Tatum's three points at the crucial moment and that catch-up kill the suspense.
This is the end of the longest series in the Eastern Conference this season.
With that victory, the Celtics eliminated the Hawks 4-2 to become the second team to advance to the semifinals of this year's playoffs. Their opponent was the Philadelphia 76ers, the first team to advance, who swept the Nets 4-0 three days earlier.
Celtic vs 76ers, 2nd in the East vs. 3rd in the East.
For many old fans, this group of matchups is no stranger. In fact, this is the 22nd meeting between the two teams in the playoffs, the two teams with the most playoffs of any team in the NBA.
In the first 21 meetings, the Celtics have won 14 of them and the 76ers have won seven of them.
The NBA has grown for a total of 76 years so far, and the two teams have played each other 22 times.
Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that the story of the Green Army and the 76ers is half of NBA history.
In the distant '60s, the Celtics won the greatest eight consecutive championships in North American history, and it was the 76ers who held them back from eight straight championships.
The following season, the Green Army achieved a 4-3 comeback and revenge after falling 1-3, becoming the first team in history to successfully reverse from 3-1 down.
At the same time, Russell's seven-game unbeaten myth continued, while the 76ers were completely dispersed, and Chamberlain moved to Los Angeles after that season.
The Celtics then won two more championship trophies, achieving the great feat of 10 titles in 11 years!
Plus, the famous phrase "Havlicek broke the ball!" ", it happened in the green-blue war.
The two teams then met again in the 80s.
Beginning in 1980, the two teams met in the playoffs four times in six years, winning twice each.
When we think back to the '80s, we always think of the yellow-green war, we think of Jordan's birth, we think of the Pistons' bad boy legion.
But the truth is, whether it was the MVP battle between Bird and Dr. J or the brawl caused by that "42:6", the showdown between Celtics and 76ers was never short of topics and conflicts in the 80s.
The only "friendly" time came in 1982, when Green Army fans, seeing no hope of promotion, began to choose to cheer for the 76ers, but their slogan was: beat LA!
The reason is that they are pinning their hopes of defeating their mortal enemy on the 76ers. And this phrase "beat LA" has become one of the NBA's most famous slogans.
Although the old things are wonderful, they are inevitably a little old.
Entering the 21st century, the two teams have met four times in the playoffs. Unlike previous meetings, these four meetings were completely tense, because all of them advanced for the Celtics, and it seemed more appropriate to say that a one-sided suspension.
It is precisely for this reason that in an interview the year before last, when asked about the "old enemy grudge" with the Green Army, Embiid said bitterly: "We and them are not old enemies at all, because they can beat us every time!" ”
In the 2002 Eastern Conference first-round series, the Celtics defeated the 76ers 3–2.
At that time, the first round of the series was still a best-of-5 series, and Pierce and Iverson each led the way to a 2:2 victory in the first 4 games!
In the "5-for-5 battle", Iverson performed extremely well, shooting 11 of 24, including 4 of 7 three-pointers and 5 of 8 free throws, totaling 31 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists.
However, the opposite "truth" Pierce was the dominant player in that game, and he played one of his career masterpieces, shooting 16 of 25 from the field, including 8 of 10 three-pointers, 6 of 7 free throws, and scored 46 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists.
Just as Pierce overwhelmed Allen Iverson, the Green Army defeated the 76ers to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
In the 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals, the Celtics eliminated the 76ers 4–3.
It was the final season for Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen, who switched to the Heat that summer.
In the first 6 matches, the two teams were tied 3:3 and had to tie the winner by stealing seven battles.
Pierce did not dominate this time, and he even had to leave early due to 6 fouls.
Garnett and Rondo saved the Celtics, and in this defensive battle, Garnett cut in 18 points and 13 rebounds, Rondo had a triple-double of 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Green Army defeated the 76ers by 10 points to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
In the 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals, the Celtics swept the 76ers 4-1 with a gentleman.
Completely different from the two duels mentioned above, this encounter is full of youthful atmosphere.
Embiid in 4th grade, Simmons in 2nd year, Fultz in 1st grade;
Rozier in 3rd grade, Jaylen Brown in 2nd grade, Tatum in 1st grade.
Tatum became the brightest star in the series, setting the tone for his later battle with James in the Eastern Conference.
The rookie scored 20+ in all five games, infinitely approaching Abdul-Jabbar's rookie playoff total point record. In the final stages of G5, Tatum scored a basket to help the team take a crucial lead, but Embiid made a mistake forced by Rozier, and the game and series came to an end.
In the 2020 Eastern Conference first-round series, the Celtics swept the 76ers 4-0.
The biggest changes from two years ago are Simmons' inability to play for the season, and Green Army veteran Horford wearing a 76ers jersey.
And the same is in the course and the result of the game.
Embiid averaged 30 points per game in four games and had double-doubles in all four games, although he shot less than 45% from the field in two games, but it was not unstellar.
But Tatum on the opposite side is also a better improvement than two years ago, averaging 27 points and 10 rebounds per game, and the Green Army is once again the winner.
Now, three years later, the two teams meet again in the playoffs.
Embiid has become an MVP-level star, and if nothing else, he will soon receive the MVP trophy he has long-cherished.
Tatum, on the other hand, is infinitely close to an NBA championship, and winning the Eastern Conference MVP last season alone doesn't satisfy him, and he has mentioned countless times that he wants to return to the Finals stage and reverse last year's results.
Embiid's side was replaced by Harden, who was far stronger than Simmons, and Tatum was still surrounded by Jaylen Brown, who was also improving himself.
In four meetings this season, the Green Army has won 3 and lost 1.
The first meeting was the opener battle, and both Tanhua scored 30+ to defeat the Dengdi combination;
In the second encounter, the remnants of the Green Army attacked, and easily sent Emperor Dengdi another defeat at home;
In the third meeting, Tatum hit a 3-pointer, but Embiid countered but timed out;
In the fourth meeting, the Green Army had no desire to wait for it again, Embiid 52+13+6 finally won a Green Army game, and added weight to his MVP battle.
Tatum and Jaylen Brown on one side and Embiid and Harden on the other.
Both teams aim for a championship.
It is foreseeable that this encounter is by no means the last green-blue battle with the current lineup as the team.
But we don't have to expect more for years to come.
Let's focus on Saturday's showdown and see if Tatum and Embiid can give us some new stories.