Celtics–76ers rivalry
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The Celtics–76ers rivalry is a rivalry in the National Basketball Association between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers. The teams have met the most times in the NBA playoffs, playing each other 18 times with the Celtics winning 11 of those series.[1] It is considered by some to be the second greatest rivalry in the NBA next to the Celtics–Lakers rivalry.
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[edit] Celtics-Warriors Rivalry
Before the Celtics–76ers rivalry, the Celtics were rivals with the Philadelphia Warriors when both teams were in the Eastern Division. The Warriors drafted center Wilt Chamberlain in 1959 and shortly thereafter was considered one of the best inside scorers in the NBA. The main storyline of the Celtics-Warriors match ups centered around Chamberlain versus Celtics center Bill Russell, who was one of the most dominant defensive forces in the NBA at the time. Even when Chamberlain had statistically imposing games, Russell and the Celtics managed to beat the Warriors in the Eastern Division Finals in both 1960 and 1962 in six and seven games respectively. After the 1962 season, the Warriors moved to San Francisco but the rivalry managed to stay alive as both teams met in the 1964 NBA Finals. The Celtics won the series five games, and the rivalry would die soon after.
[edit] Celtics-Nationals Rivalry
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[edit] Start of the Rivalry
In the 1964 season, the Syracuse Nationals moved and became the Philadelphia 76ers. Shortly after the All-Star break in 1965, the Sixers acquired Chamberlain from the Warriors, which helped spark the old rivalry between Boston and Philadelphia. That post season, the Celtics and Sixers met in the Eastern Division Finals with a trip to the NBA Championship on the line. The series lasted seven games, with the deciding game held at Boston Garden. With seconds left at the end of the game and the score 110-109 in favor of the Celtics, Russell tried to inbound the ball when it hit the backboard which resulted in a turnover. However, the Sixers failed to capitalize on the turnover when Celtics forward John Havlicek deflected the inbound pass to his teammate Sam Jones as time expired. The Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games for their seventh straight title.
In the 1967 season, the Sixers won a then NBA record of 68 games to go along with only 13 losses. The Sixers again met the Celtics, who were 60-21, in the Eastern Division finals. However this time around, the Sixers finally overpowered the Celtics, beating them in just five games and advancing to the NBA Finals. They would go onto win the NBA Championship by beating the San Francisco Warriors in six games, giving both the Sixers and Chamberlain their first title. Both teams would continue to play each other in the post season, but the rivalry didn't have the same passion as it once did.
[edit] Rebirth
The Sixers fell into a deep slump until the acquisition of Julius Erving before the 1977 season. They became a main contender in the Eastern Conference, but the Boston Celtics shortly joined them. In 1978, the Celtics drafted Indiana State forward Larry Bird. Bird joined the team for the 1980 season and the Celtics took off shortly, advancing to the Eastern Conference finals that season to face the Sixers. The Sixers beats the Celtics in five games but failed to win the title against the Lakers.
The Celtics succeeded in knocking off the 76ers in 1981 in seven games while on the way to their first championship in five seasons. It didn't become easy, though, as they were down 3-1 to the Sixers before rattling off three straight wins, similar to their 1968 comeback. The Celtics attempted to come back from a similar 3-1 predicament in 1982; however, the Sixers had the last laugh, winning in Game 7. In that finale, as Boston fans saw the home team losing, they congratulated the Sixers by shouting the now-famous "Beat L.A." chant as the Sixers were about to face the well-rested Lakers.[2][3] In the end, however, the weary Sixers couldn't keep up, losing to the Lakers in the Finals.
The next season, the Sixers picked up MVP Moses Malone from the Houston Rockets. Malone repeated as the NBA's MVP and lead the 76ers to an NBA Championship in a four game sweep against the Lakers. With the Milwaukee Bucks sweeping the Boston Celtics, it made the Sixers run to this championship much easier. However, it would be the last championship for the city of Philadelphia until the Phillies won the 2008 World Series.[4]
The "highlight" of this era of the rivalry was a 1983 exhibition game that featured 3 separate fights- Moses Malone/Cedric Maxwell, Larry Bird/Marc Iavaroni,and Gerald Henderson/Sedale Threatt. During Bird/Iavaroni, Bird managed to rip opposing coach Billy Cunningham's sportsjacket in half. The fight was reaching a peak when 66 year old Red Auerbach came down from the stands to restore order. Witnesses report him calling the hulking giant Malone a "big schvatzer." There was also a memorable 1985 choking match between Larry Bird and Julius Erving.
Both teams still play to this day with some tension, but the rivalry has not lived up to its past notoriety. Since 1984, the only times the two teams met in the playoffs was in 1985 and 2002. The 1985 series would be the Sixers' last conference final until 2001, losing to Boston in five games. In 2002, the Celtics, in their first appearance since 1995, won the first round meeting in five games. That series would feature the scoring exploits of Allen Iverson and Paul Pierce.[5]
In 2011, with both the Celtics and 76ers going to the playoffs, there's a possibility that the two teams might play each other in the playoffs. The game on April 5, 2011 was a preview of a possible first round series between the two teams.[6]
[edit] The Boston Strangler
Boston sports writers dubbed Sixers' shooting guard Andrew Toney The Boston Strangler because of his ability to take control of games against the Boston Celtics. He is remembered for scoring 25 points against Boston in the fourth quarter on March 21, 1982, at the Philadelphia Spectrum. Toney's 25 points is still the Sixers' team record for most points scored in a quarter.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ "NBA: Most frequent playoff matchups". McCubed.net. http://mcubed.net/nba/mfpm.shtml.
- ^ Viser, Matt (June 1, 2008). "Region revs up for an East-West rivalry reborn". Boston Globe: p. A1. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5wG7z0mUz. "The intensity of the rivalry was encapsulated in the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals. The winners were to face the Lakers, and after it became clear the Celtics were going to lose to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Garden crowd erupted into chants of, 'Beat L.A.!'"
- ^ Kerby, Trey (June 3, 2010). "Everything you could possibly want to know about the NBA Finals". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5wG9r6sdE. "But that's not when the chant took off in Boston. It actually started as a chant supporting the Philadelphia 76ers."
- ^ Sheridan, Phil (October 30, 2008). "WORLD CHAMPS!; 28 years later, Phillies again are baseball's best". Philadeplhia Inquirer: p. A1. "After 25 years of drought...Philadelphia has its championship...the Phillies really are World Series champions."
- ^ Lazenby, Roland (2000). "18. NBA Season in Review". The Official NBA Encyclopedia.
- ^ Golen, Jimmy (April 5, 2011). "Rondo helps Celtics past 76ers". Associated Press. Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2011040502&print=1. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
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