A Bunch Of Improbable Roob Stats From An Improbable 76ers Win Over The Celtics

A bunch of improbable Roob stats from an improbable 76ers win over the Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Can the 76ers come all the way back from 3 games to 1 and win their Eastern Conference First-Round series against the Celtics?

We’ll find out Saturday, but at least they’ve given themselves a chance with a couple historic wins over the Celtics.

The 76ers are doing things they haven’t done in years and in some cases in decades.

Which means we’ve got a pile of stats for you off the 76ers’ 113-97 win in Game 6 Thursday night at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.

IT’S NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE: After beating the Celtics by 16 points in Game 5 and 13 points in Game 6, this is the first 76ers-Celtics series ever where the 76ers have won multiple games by at least 13 points. In fact, before Tuesday they hadn’t beaten the Celtics in a playoff game by 13 points since 1982. Last time the Celtics lost consecutive playoff games to anybody was in 2017 in their Eastern Conference Semifinal series against Washington, when they lost by 17 in Game 3 and 19 in Game 4. 

IT’S ONLY BEEN 47 YEARS: The 76ers did something Thursday night they haven’t done in 47 years. Take a series to seven games after trailing three games to one. By sending their Eastern Conference First-Round series back to Boston for a Game 7 after losing three of the first four games, the 76ers forced a Game 7 after trailing 3-1 for the first time sine 1979, when they lost the first two games of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series against the Spurs 119-106 and 121-120 at HemisFair Arena in San Antonio before winning Game 3 123-115 and then losing Game 4 115-112, both at the Spectrum. But they won the next two – 120-97 at HemisFair and 92-90 at the Spectrum – to force a Game 7 in San Antonio, which they lost 111-108 despite 34 points from Doc.

DEE-FENSE DEE-FENSE: The Celtics shot 42 percent from the field Thursday and have now shot 42 percent or worse in three games in this series – Games 2, 5 and 6. The last two games mark the first time in 57 years the 76ers have held the Celtics to 42 percent shooting in consecutive playoff games. Last time it happened was Games 4 and 5 of their 1969 Eastern Division Semifinal series, when the Celtics shot 41 percent in a 119-116 loss at Boston Garden and then 41 percent two nights later in a 93-90 win at the Spectrum. Last time the Celtics shot 42 percent or worse three times in the same series against the 76ers was 1977, when they shot below 42 percent in Games 2, 5 and 7. 

HOW OLD IS HE??? At two days shy of his 36^th birthday, Paul George made 5 of 9 3’s and became the oldest 76er with five 3’s in a playoff game. The previous oldest 76er with five 3’s was Danny Green, who made seven at 34 years, 318 days, in a 99-79 win over the Heat in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series at Wells Fargo. The previous oldest player to make five 3’s vs. the Celtics in a playoff game was Clifford Robinson, who was 35 years, 140 days, when he made six in the Pistons’ win over Boston in Game 1 of the 2002 Eastern Conference Semifinals at the Palace of Auburn Hills. 

REMEMBER THAT GAME BACK IN 1967? The 76ers’ 38 points in the second quarter are their most in any postseason second quarter in 59 years, since they scored 39 on the way to a 140-116 win over the Celtics in Game 5 of their 1967 Eastern Conference Division Finals at Convention Hall in West Philly. They scored 38 points in a second quarter four other times, all against the Celtics – once in 1955 and three times in 1959, all as the Syracuse Nationals. The Celtics have allowed 38 or more points in a second quarter nine times since that game in Philly in 1967, most recently last year when the Knicks had 38 in a 119-108 win at the Garden. The 76ers shot 13-for-23 from the field, 5-for-10 from the field and 7-for-8 from the line in that 38-point second quarter. 76ers have only had two 38-point second quarters against the Knicks in the regular season since 1993. 

TWO GAMES IN A ROW: The Celtics scored just 14 points in the third quarter two days after scoring just 11 in the fourth quarter. This is the first time in 15 years they’ve had a quarter with 14 or fewer points in back-to-back playoff games. In 2011, they scored 13 points in the fourth quarter in a 98-90 home loss to the Heat in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals and two days later they scored 14 in the fourth quarter of a 97-87 loss in Game 5 in Miami. Last time the Celtics had 14 or fewer points in a quarter in back-to-back games vs. the 76ers was in 1954, when they had 14 in the second quarter of a 109-94 Syracuse Nationals win in Game of their Eastern Division Finals at Onanaga War Memorial, and two days later they had 10 points in the fourth quarter in an 83-76 Nationals win in Boston.

TYRESE MAXEY AND HAL GREER! Tyrese Maxey has scored 158 points so far in the series and needs 26 in Game 7 for the most points ever by a 76ers guard in a playoff series against the Celtics. Legendary Hall of Famer Hal Greer scored 183 in the 1967-68 Eastern Division Finals.