Preview: Legacy Game 7 for Joel Embiid, James Harden, and the Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are set to face off against the Boston Celtics at 3:30PM in what can only be described as a potential franchise altering Game 7 at TD Garden.

We already witnessed the shift in the matrix revolving around the Philadelphia 76ers heading into the 2022-23 NBA season.

Completely drained from the Ben Simmons saga and yet another playoff series that resulted in Joel Embiid being injured and an early second round exit to the Miami Heat, fans decided to keep the Sixers at arms length and rightfully so.

That of course, changed as the playoffs approached, with Embiid finally being named the NBA MVP and finally healthy entering the playoffs.

The first round against the Brooklyn Nets was a cakewalk. The Nets, a team that benefitted heavily from the first part of the season by stacking up wins with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, never really should have been in the playoffs to begin with.

The result was a 4-0 series sweep of the Nets but it came with a price, as Embiid suffered an LCL sprain in his right knee that kept him out of the finale against the Nets and Game 1 against the Boston Celtics.

As the dark clouds started to make their way over the city of Philadelphia, a vintage performance from James Harden saved our souls in Game 1, as the Sixers upset the Celtics on their home court thanks to a 45-point effort from The Beard.

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In Game 2, Embiid returned. He was out-of-sync and rusty after missing being sidelined for nearly two weeks and the Celtics won in blowout fashion, destroying the Sixers 114-102.

The Sixers returned home for Game 3 as Embiid was officially awarded the NBA MVP Trophy with his family in attendance. It was a game that the Sixers should have won, but no one outside the league’s most valuable player decided to show up, resulting in a 114-102 loss and a 2-1 series deficit.

James Harden returned in Game 4 and the Sixers managed to squeak out an overtime thriller 116-115 to even the series at two games a piece, with Game 5 heading back to Boston.

Game 5 is when Sixers’ fans got what they have been hoping for over the last several seasons with a full team-effort and a convincing 115-103 win over the Celtics at TD Garden.

Just when there was a belief that the dark days were finally over and the Sixers would break the trend of disappointing second round exits, disaster struck in Game 6. The Sixers finished the game 0-9 over the final six minutes and let the Celtics live to fight another day.

Now, in a series that honestly should have been over already, the Sixers will take the court in Boston today at 3:30PM in a franchise-defining Game 7 against the Celtics.

Joel Embiid has failed to make it past the second round before. Doc Rivers has more blown series leads than any coach in NBA history. The narrative around James Harden is that he always comes up short in the playoffs. The Sixers have lost two Game 7’s in the process era to the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks already.

A loss today would be soul crushing not only to the fanbase, but to the players and coaches involved and how their legacies and impact on the game of basketball will be viewed for years to come.

Here’s a reminder on what’s at stake for today’s game.

Doc Rivers as head coach
James Harden re-signing
Joel Embiid’s playoff legacy
The trajectory of Tyrese Maxey
Tobias Harris’ future with the Sixers

A loss will crush this team and the city that has spent nearly a decade “trusting the process”. A win and an Eastern Conference Finals matchup against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat would reignite the flames and passion for a basketball team that continuously has done everything possible to put out.

With any Game 7, it’s hard to predict the outcome and today’s matchup will be no different.

Through the first six games of this series, both teams have played well on some nights and looked horrible on others. The Celtics and Sixers have each lost twice on their home courts. As mentioned above, James Harden stunned everyone in Game 1 in Boston and Jayson Tatum, who was miserable through three and a half quarters of Game 6, stunned the Sixers to force Game 7.

We have all watched the first six games of this series and the recipe to win is simple.

There has been one game this series that the Sixers have put forth the effort and expectations that makes the city of Philadelphia believe they are championship contenders.

Sixers Game 5 Box Score

Joel Embiid: 33 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 4 BLK
Tyrese Maxey: 30 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST
James Harden: 17 PTS, 8 REB, 10 AST, 2 STL
Tobias Harris: 16 PTS, 11 REB, 1 AST
Danuel House Jr: 10 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST

I hate to be dramatic, but today’s Game 7 is bigger than basketball. It’s an opportunity for Sixers fans and the entire organization to validate “The Process” and rid themselves of the nightmare playoff appearances in year’s past.

Maybe it’s just my sick and at times, demented brain but I really do believe that Joel Embiid and James Harden will be ready to play today at TD Garden.

PJ Tucker will be there guiding light and have everyone locked in from the opening tip-off to the final buzzer. Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris will both be efficient enough to help guide this team to victory.

And someone on the bench, whether that’s Georges Niang, Paul Reed, or Danuel House Jr will do enough in their limited minutes to help balance the offensive load needed to beat the Celtics.