The curse of Beantown is finally over for the Philadelphia 76ers as they defeated the Boston Celtics 109-100 in Game 7 of their best-of-seven first-round playoff series at the TD Garden on Saturday night.
Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points on 11-18 shooting, including 2-4 from 3-point distance, and added 11 rebounds and seven assists in 45 minutes of action as the Sixers beat the Celtics in a playoff series for the first time since 1982.
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Maxey’s performance caught the eye of veteran analyst Skip Bayless, who reminded netizens that more than half of the league’s teams passed on Maxey in the 2020 NBA Draft, while also taking a shot at Tyrese’s former backcourt partner in Philly.
“Twenty players were picked before Tyrese Maxey … but he is so much better when it matters than James Harden. 30/10/7 in Game 7 at Boston,” wrote Bayless on “X.”
Harden disappeared in 2023 for Philly
Before this year, the last time that the Celtics and Sixers faced off in the playoffs was in the second round in 2023. That series also went to a Game 7, but back then, it was Philadelphia who blew a 3-2 lead.
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That 2022-23 team was led by Joel Embiid and James Harden, with Maxey as the third option on the team. In Game 6 of that series, Harden shot just 4-16 and finished with 13 points and five turnovers as the Sixers lost 86-95. Then in Game 7, Harden struggled again, going 3-9 from the floor and scoring just nine points with five turnovers, as Philadelphia lost 88-112.
Harden was eventually traded to the L.A. Clippers, and Maxey assumed the playmaker role. Three seasons later, Tyrese averaged 26.3 points and 6.5 assists through six games before delivering his best performance of the series when they needed it most. Given what happened back in 2023, you can’t blame Bayless for saying what he said.
Maxey sealed the Game 7 win with two drives
The Sixers were in control for much of Game 7 before the Celtics went on a run in the 4th quarter. With 2:04 left in the game, Boston cut the lead to 99-98, but Maxey blew by Neemias Queta for a beautiful reverse to give the Sixers more cushion at 101-98. Then on the ensuing play, he ran the pick and roll with Kelly Oubre to seek Queta in another one-on-one situation. Once again, he blew by the Boston big man to score another layup to give his team a 103-98 lead with 1:15 left. The Celtics never threatened again.
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“We had a talk after Game 5,”said Maxey postgame. “We can’t let the same stuff happen over and over and over again. At some point, we gotta put a stop to it. And we did. We won Game 6 at home, and this Game 7 is always a toss-up. We ain’t won one yet, so it feels good to win one.”
The Sixers now move on to the second round, where they’ll face the New York Knicks, setting up another tough challenge for Maxey against Jalen Brunson.
Meanwhile, for whatever it’s worth, Harden is now in Cleveland, and his Cavaliers face the Toronto Raptors in a Game 7 on Sunday. We’ll see if he proves Skip wrong.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.