That was the last time I had even the slightest inclination that the Sixers might have the upper hand against the Boston Celtics. That was the date of the infamous “Confetti Game” in the Eastern Conference Semifinals when the Sixers hosted Boston. An eventual overtime loss for the Sixers gave way to a 3-0 series hole and ultimately a gentleman’s sweep in a five-game loss.
Even a handful of years later when the Sixers held a 3-2 series lead against the Celtics in the East semis, I never had a shred of confidence that the Sixers could get it done. An embarrassing Game 6 loss at home in a would-be closeout situation led to an embarrassing no-show loss on Mother’s Day up in Boston in Game 7. Fast forward a year later and the Celtics had won their second title of the 21st century while the Sixers continued to be allergic to the Eastern Conference Finals.
That brings us to the 2026 campaign. After some fleeting moments of joy this season, the Sixers are cratering. Joel Embiid once again has a prolonged absence. Tyrese Maxey just suffered a hand injury that will keep him out of the lineup for the time being and VJ Edgecombe is banged up as well. They have stumbled down the standings and currently sit as a Play-In team. As Mick Jagger once sang, “All the dreams were held so close, seemed to all go up in smoke.” That sums up the colossal disappointment of this era of Sixers basketball.
Conversely, everything is coming up Celtics. Jaylen Brown is having a career-best year in his age-29 season, dropping almost 29 points per night while guiding Boston to the No. 2 seed in the East. On Friday night, six-time All-Star Jayson Tatum returned to the lineup after an Achilles injury that had previously kept him sidelined all season. Tatum is settling in, putting up 15 points on Friday against Dallas and 20 points on Sunday against Cleveland, both Boston wins.
Let me guess how the next couple of months play out… Tatum gets his legs under him and Boston starts rolling. The Sixers scrape their way through the Play-In Tournament only for Boston to annihilate them in the first round. Shortly after, the Celtics will roll their way to their third Finals appearance in five seasons.
The Sixers’ pendulum has swung back to mediocrity and I can’t foresee them getting unstuck from there anytime soon.