The 76ers–Celtics rivalry is a

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA)

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

between the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

and the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

. The two teams have the most meetings in the

NBA playoffs The NBA playoffs is the annual Playoffs, postseason Tournament#Knockout tournaments, tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held to determine the league champion. Since 1949, the four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held afte ...

, playing each other in 22 series (and the 1954 Eastern Division Round Robin), with the Celtics winning 15 of them. The 76ers are considered to be the Celtics' second biggest rival, behind only the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

History

Celtics–Nationals rivalry

The Syracuse Nationals and Boston Celtics played in the Eastern Division in the 1950s. The Nationals beat the Celtics in three straight playoff series in 1954, 1955, and 1956, winning the NBA Championship in 1955. After the 1956 season the Celtics traded for

Bill Russell William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played Center (basketball), center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was t ...

and drafted K.C. Jones, both of whom starred and won Championships at the University of San Francisco. Also adding

Tom Heinsohn Thomas William Heinsohn (August 26, 1934 – November 9, 2020) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and broadcaster. He was associated with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for six decades as a pl ...

with a territorial pick, the Celtics would win their next three playoff series against the Nationals in the playoffs (1957, 1959, and 1961) before the Nationals were sold and moved to Philadelphia.

Chamberlain and Russell

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

, the Syracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia and became the 76ers, renewing the basketball rivalry between Philadelphia and Boston (from when the

Warriors A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have been p ...

had been in Philadelphia). Shortly after the

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

break in

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

, the Sixers acquired

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( ; August21, 1936 – October12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player. Standing tall, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrin ...

from the Warriors, bringing the Chamberlain/Russell matchup back into the rivalry as well. The Celtics and Sixers met in the Eastern Conference Finals that season with a trip to the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

on the line. The series went the distance, with Game 7 being held at the

Boston Garden The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (later ...

. With 5 seconds left and Boston leading 110–109, Russell tried to inbound the ball when it hit a guy wire that supported the backboard, which resulted in a turnover. However, the Sixers failed to capitalize when Celtics forward

John Havlicek John Joseph Havlicek (often nicknamed Hondo) ( ; April 8, 1940 – April 25, 2019) was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A swingman, Hav ...

deflected the inbound pass to Sam Jones, who ran out the clock. The Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals and defeated the

in five games for their seventh straight title. In the 1966 season, the Sixers looked poised to end Boston's 7-year reign as NBA Champions; Philadelphia won the regular season series against Boston 6–4 and finished 55–25 to beat out the Celtics by one game and win the number one seed in Eastern Division. Chamberlain also won the

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

over Russell, who had won three of the previous four awards. When they met in the Conference Championship however, Boston defeated Philadelphia 4–1 and went on to win their eighth straight NBA Championship. The next year the Sixers brought in

Alex Hannum Alexander Murray Hannum (July 19, 1923 – January 18, 2002) was an American professional basketball player and coach. As a player, Hannum played for six different teams, most notably with the Milwaukee (later St. Louis) Hawks, where he played ...

as head coach. Hannum had also coached the

Bob Pettit Robert E. Lee Pettit Jr. ( ; born December 12, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association, NBA, all with the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954–1965). In ...

-led

St. Louis Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at S ...

to the 1958 NBA Championship-the last year someone had defeated the Celtics in the championship. The Sixers went a then-NBA record 68–13 while the Celtics were 60–21. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Sixers overpowered Boston, beating them in five games and ending Boston's eight-year reign as NBA champions. The Sixers won the NBA Championship by beating the San Francisco Warriors in six games, giving the Sixers and Chamberlain their first title. The 1966–67 76ers were voted in 1980 as being the greatest team in the history of the NBA to that point. In 1968, the Sixers finished 62–20, eight games above Boston, and Chamberlain won his third consecutive MVP award. Both teams met in the Conference Championship again, and the Celtics won the Series in seven games after trailing 3–1, and went on to win the 1968 NBA Championship. After the season, 76ers head coach Alex Hannum left the NBA for the ABA in order to move closer to his family on the West Coast, and Chamberlain requested a trade, and was traded to Los Angeles. Without Wilt, the Sixers managed a 55–27 record. Though Philadelphia again won the regular-season series against the Celtics, they were no match for Boston in the playoffs and lost 4–1. The Celtics went on to win the championship, their 11th in 13 seasons. After this season, Russell retired and both teams would not meet in the playoffs until 1977. The only two years Russell's Celtics did not win the championship, they lost to teams coached by Alex Hannum.

Dr. J and Bird

The Sixers slumped until acquiring

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

before the 1977 season. They became a contender in the East, and in Erving's first season with the team, the Sixers eliminated the defending champion Boston Celtics in a tough seven-game Eastern semifinals in 1977. Boston slumped for the next two seasons while Philadelphia continued to be a strong team in the NBA, but in 1978, the Celtics drafted Indiana State forward

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend" Bird is widely regarded a ...

in the hope of reviving their glory years as a franchise. Bird joined the team for the 1980 season and his impact was immediate. The Celtics improved from a 29–53 record in the 1978–79 season to a league-best 61–21 record in 1979–1980, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals that season to face the Sixers. The Sixers beat Boston in 5 but failed to win the title against the Lakers. The next season, both the Celtics and the Sixers finished with the best record in the NBA at 62–20, but Boston held the tiebreaker in the ranking. In a classic 7-game Eastern Finals, the Celtics beat the 76ers in 1981 4–3, coming all the way back from a 3–1 deficit to win the next 3 games in classic finishes. The Celtics won Games 5 and 6 by 2 points each and the seventh game by 1 point, 91–90, coming back from a 7-point deficit with a few minutes left to win on a Larry Bird banker from the left side with barely a minute left. The Celtics then defeated the Houston Rockets on their way to their first title in 5 years. For the 1981–1982 season, the Celtics again had the best record in the NBA at 63–19, followed by Philadelphia at 58–24, with one of the Sixers' key victories in the regular season being a win in Boston to snap the Celtics' 18-game winning streak. In the 1982 Eastern Finals, Boston attempted to come back from a similar 3–1 predicament and managed to extend the series to seven games, with the seventh game playing in raucous Boston Garden. However, Philadelphia had the last laugh, winning Game 7. In that finale, as Boston fans saw their team losing, in a show of respect, they congratulated the Sixers by shouting the now-famous "Beat L.A." chant as the Sixers were about to face the well-rested Lakers. 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

Moses Malone Moses Eugene Malone Sr. (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A ...

from the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

. Malone repeated as the MVP and led the 76ers to an

NBA Championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

in a 4-game sweep against the Lakers. With the Bucks sweeping Boston, it made the Sixers' title run much easier. The "highlight" of this era of the rivalry was a 1983 exhibition game that featured 3 separate fights: Moses Malone/

Cedric Maxwell Cedric Bryan Maxwell (born November 21, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player now in radio broadcasting. Nicknamed "Cornbread", he played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and played a key role in two c ...

, Larry Bird/

Marc Iavaroni Marcus John Iavaroni (born September 15, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player and former head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as an assistant coach for several ...

, and

Gerald Henderson Jerome McKinley "Gerald" Henderson Sr. (born January 16, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player. He was a combo guard who had a 13-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1979 until 1992. He played for ...

Sedale Threatt Sedale Eugene Threatt ( ; born September 10, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Threatt played college basketball at the West Virginia Institute of T ...

. During Bird/Iavaroni, Bird ripped 76ers coach Billy Cunningham's sports jacket in half. The fight was reaching a peak when 66-year-old

Red Auerbach Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was an American professional basketball coach and executive. As a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he led the Boston Celtics to an unprecedented champio ...

came down from the stands to restore order. For his actions, Auerbach was fined $2,500 by the NBA. There was also a memorable 1985 choking match between Bird and Erving. Since 1984, the only times the two teams met in the playoffs were in 1985, 2002, 2012, 2018, 2020, and 2023. Though the 1983–84 season saw the Celtics win the title and the Sixers upset in the first round by the New Jersey Nets, the Sixers had a measure of satisfaction in the regular season by winning 4 of their 6 regular season games versus Boston, the only time the Sixers managed to win the regular season series versus Boston in the Larry Bird era. Charles Barkley joined the Sixers for the 1984–85 season, and the 1985 Eastern Final series was the Sixers' last conference final until 2001. In the 1985 Finals, they lost to Boston in five games after Boston had won the first 3 games, including a third game in Philadelphia where Julius Erving was uncharacteristically booed by the home crowd for his poor play. Game 5 saw Larry Bird pick off

Andrew Toney Andrew Toney (born November 23, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1980 to 1988. A two-time NBA All-Star, he won an NBA championship with the 76e ...

with a few seconds left and Boston up by 2, then dribble up court to preserve the Celtics' close victory, reminiscent of John Havlicek's series-clinching steal in 1965.

Lull and rebuilding

After the 1985 playoffs, the rivalry would die down. Bird and the Celtics would win one more championship in 1986, but the Sixers would not reach another conference finals until 2001. The Sixers saw a steep decline through the rest of the '80's, trading Malone and Cheeks along with the retirements of Erving and Toney. Charles Barkley emerged as the Sixers new leader and a prominent NBA superstar, however he was not able to get the team past the second round. Though considered an MVP candidate in his prime, the Sixers traded him in 1992 and went through a period of rebuilding. After winning the championship in 1986, the Celtics also began a decline that started with tragedy. Two days after they drafted him in the 1986 draft,

Len Bias Leonard Kevin Bias (November 18, 1963June 19, 1986) was an American college basketball player for the Maryland Terrapins. In the last of his four years playing for Maryland, he was named a consensus first-team All-American. Two days after being s ...

died of a drug overdose.

Reggie Lewis Reginald C. Lewis (November 21, 1965 – July 27, 1993) was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics from 1987 to 1993. At the age of 27, Lewis died while still a member of the Celtics, ...

died of a heart attack in his prime in 1993. The Celtics then missed the playoffs in 1994, and did not post a winning record until the 2001–02 season. Despite the 90's being a period of stagnation for both teams, it did produce some key developments.

Allen Iverson Allen Ezail Iverson ( ; born June 7, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "The Answer", he played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as both a shooting guard and point guard. As an NBA rook ...

was drafted by the 76ers as the first overall pick in the 1996 draft, and the Celtics would draft

Paul Pierce Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), predominantly with the Boston Celtics. As of September 2024, he is a contributo ...

two years later. Both players would become superstars in the league and lead their respective team into the playoffs numerous times. In 2002, the Celtics, in their first appearance since 1995, won the first round meeting 3–2 over the defending conference champion 76ers. That series featured the scoring exploits of

and

. The two teams met again in the 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals, which the Celtics won 4–3. The fourth-seeded Celtics defeated the eighth-seeded Sixers in a tight, back and forth series. The teams met again in the 2018 Eastern Conference Semifinals as both team advanced from the first round lead by their new draft pick

Jayson Tatum Jayson Christopher Tatum Sr. ( ; born March 3, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a McDonald's All-American in high school in Missouri and played coll ...

from Celtics with

Ben Simmons Benjamin David Simmons (born 20 July 1996) is an Australian professional basketball player who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one season with the LSU Tigers, a ...

and

Joel Embiid Joel Hans Embiid ( ; born 16 March 1994) is a Cameroonian and American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After one year of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks men's ...

from 76ers, respectively. The Celtics won 4–1, and Joel Embiid afterwards remarked "This is not a rivalry, I don't know our record against them, but it's pretty bad. They always kick our ass." The teams met again in the first round of the

2020 NBA playoffs The 2020 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2019–20 season. The tournament ended with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat ...

and the Celtics swept the series 4–0. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the series was held in a neutral site with no spectators. The teams met again in the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals and, despite the 76ers being up 3–2 going into game 6, the Celtics managed to come back and won 4–3. The series was highlighted by

's 51 points in Game 7 of the series. His 51 points are the most in a Game 7 in NBA playoff history, surpassing the previous mark by

Stephen Curry Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player and point guard for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Chef Curry", he is widely regarded as the ...

(50 points), who had already held the record two weeks earlier.

The Boston Strangler

Boston sportswriters dubbed Sixers' shooting guard

"The Boston Strangler" because of his ability to take control of games against the Celtics. He is remembered for scoring 25 points against Boston in the fourth quarter on March 21, 1982, at the Philadelphia Spectrum. It is still the Sixers' team record for most points scored in a quarter. He also scored a team-high 33 points in the classic Game 7 of the 1982 Eastern Finals in Boston (the famous "Beat LA!" game), leading the Sixers to the Finals and avoiding a second straight meltdown in the Eastern Finals versus Boston. Andrew Toney's ability to have big scoring games in the playoffs versus the Celtics was one of the reasons for the Celtics in acquiring defensive ace and Hall of Famer

Dennis Johnson Dennis Wayne Johnson (September 18, 1954 – February 22, 2007), nicknamed "DJ", was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics. He was a c ...

from the Phoenix Suns prior to the 1983–84 season, and Johnson would go on to have several great seasons with the Celtics, winning two titles with them in 1984 and 1986.

Season-by-season results

, - , , style=";" , Nationals , style=";" , , style=";" , Nationals, , style=";" , Nationals, , , style=";" , Nationals
,

Basketball Association of America The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League (United States), National Basketball Lea ...

and National Basketball League merge to become the

(NBA), putting the Nationals and Celtics in the Eastern Division.
Nationals win the Eastern Division for the first time.
Nationals finish with the best record in the league (51–13).
Nationals lose

1950 NBA Finals The 1950 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s inaugural 1949–50 season following the merger of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Basketball Association of America ...

. , - , , style=";" , Nationals , style=";" , , style=";" , Nationals, , style=";" , Celtics, , , style=";" , Nationals
, Last season Nationals played at State Fair Coliseum. , - , , style=";" , Nationals , style=";" , , style=";" , Nationals, , style=";" , Celtics, , , style=";" , Nationals
, Nationals open up Onondaga War Memorial.
Nationals win the Eastern Division. , - , , style=";" , Nationals , style=";" , , style=";" , Nationals, , style=";" , Celtics, , Tie, , style=";" , Nationals
, Neutral site games were played at *

Convention Hall Convention Hall was a convention center in Kansas City, Missouri that hosted the 1900 Democratic National Convention and 1928 Republican National Convention. Construction, burning, and reconstruction It was designed by Frederick E. Hill and b ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

* Madison Square Garden (III),

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1953 Eastern Division Semifinals , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , , style=";" , Nationals
, 1st postseason series. , - , , Tied , , style=";" , Nationals, , style=";" , Celtics, , Tie, , style=";" , Nationals
, Neutral site games were played at * Madison Square Garden (III) *

Baltimore Coliseum Baltimore Coliseum was an indoor arena in Baltimore, Maryland. It hosted the NBA's original Baltimore Bullets from 1944 until 1954. Prior to that it hosted roller skating events. The Coliseum was built in 1938 on the corner of Monroe Street an ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1954 Eastern Division Round-Robin , style=";" , Nationals , style=";" , , style=";" , Nationals, , style=";" , Nationals, , , style=";" , Nationals
, Only season in NBA history to use round-robin playoff format. Nationals (4–0) and Celtics (2–2) finish above the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

(0–4), setting up an Eastern Division Finals postseason series. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1954 Eastern Division Finals , style=";" , Nationals , style=";" , , style=";" , Nationals, , style=";" , Nationals, , , style=";" , Nationals
, 2nd postseason series.
Nationals go on to lose

1954 NBA Finals The 1954 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1954 NBA playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1953–54 season. The Western Division champion Minneapolis Lakers faced the Eastern Divi ...

. , - , , Tied , , style=";" , Nationals, , style=";" , Celtics, , Tie, , style=";" , Nationals
, Both neutral site games were played at Madison Square Garden (III).
Nationals win the Eastern Division.
Nationals finish tied for the best record in the league (43–29). , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1955 Eastern Division Finals , style=";" , Nationals , style=";" , , style=";" , Nationals, , Tie, , , style=";" , Nationals
, 3rd postseason series.
Nationals go on to win

1955 NBA Finals The 1955 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1954–55 NBA season. The best-of-seven series was won by the Syracuse Nationals, who defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons in the final game when Syracuse's George King made ...

. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Nationals, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Nationals
, Neutral site games were played at * Madison Square Garden (III) * Bangor Municipal Auditorium, Bangor,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

* Convention Hall Nationals and Celtics played the first regular-season NBA game in Maine at Bangor Auditorium. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1956 Eastern Division Semifinals , style=";" , Nationals , style=";" , , style=";" , Nationals, , Tie, , , style=";" , Nationals
, 4th postseason series. , - , , style=";" , Nationals , style=";" , , style=";" , Nationals, , style=";" , Celtics, , Tie, , style=";" , Nationals
, Neutral site games were played at * Convention Hall * Madison Square Garden (III)

makes his debut for the Celtics.
Celtics win the Eastern Division for the first time.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (44–28). , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1957 Eastern Division Finals , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , , style=";" , Nationals
, 5th postseason series.
Celtics go on to win

1957 NBA Finals The 1957 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1956–57 National Basketball Association season, and was the conclusion of the 1957 NBA playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Division cha ...

. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Nationals, , style=";" , Celtics, , Tie, , style=";" , Nationals
, Neutral site games were played at * Madison Square Garden (III) * Convention Hall Celtics win the Eastern Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (49–23).
Celtics lose

1958 NBA Finals The 1958 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series for the 1957–58 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It pitted the Western Division champion St. Louis Hawks against ...

. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Nationals, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Nationals
, Neutral site games were played at * Convention Hall * Madison Square Garden (III) Celtics win the Eastern Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (52–20). , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1959 Eastern Division Finals , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Nationals, , style=";" , Celtics, , , style=";" , Nationals
, 6th postseason series.
First postseason series in the rivalry to go to game 7.
This is the last time the Syracuse Nationals (now the Philadelphia 76ers) held the overall series record over the Celtics.
Celtics go on to win

1959 NBA Finals The 1959 NBA Finals, then known as the 1959 NBA World Championship Series, was the championship series of the 1958–59 National Basketball Association season, and was the conclusion of the 1959 NBA playoffs. The best-of-seven series was play ...

. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Nationals, , style=";" , Celtics
, Neutral site games were played at *

Rhode Island Auditorium Rhode Island Auditorium was an indoor arena in Providence, Rhode Island, at 1111 North Main Street. It hosted the NBA's Providence Steamrollers from 1946 until 1949, and the Providence Reds ice hockey team until the Providence Civic Center (n ...

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

* Convention Hall On March 3, 1960, Nationals beat the Celtics 149–108, their largest victory over the Celtics as a Syracuse team with a 41-point differential and second largest victory overall against them.
Celtics win the Eastern Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (59–16).
Celtics win

1960 NBA Finals The 1960 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1960 NBA playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association 1959–60 season. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Division champion St. L ...

. , - , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Neutral site games were played at * Rhode Island Auditorium * Convention Hall Celtics win the Eastern Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (57–22). , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1961 Eastern Division Finals , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , , style=";" , Celtics
, 7th postseason series.
Last postseason series Celtics faced the Nationals as a Syracuse team.
Celtics go on to win

1961 NBA Finals The 1961 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1961 NBA playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1960–61 season in North America. The best-of-seven series was played between the Wester ...

. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics
, Neutral site games were played at *

Rochester Community War Memorial Blue Cross Arena, also known as the War Memorial, is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Rochester, New York. For hockey and lacrosse, its seating capacity is 10,662. The arena opened on October 18, 1955, as the Rochester Community War Memor ...

, Rochester,

* Rhode Island Auditorium Celtics win the Eastern Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (60–20).
Celtics win

1962 NBA Finals The 1962 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1962 NBA playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1961–62 season. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Division champio ...

. , - , , Tied , , style=";" , Nationals, , style=";" , Celtics, , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics
, Neutral site games were played at * Convention Hall * Rhode Island Auditorium Last season where the

Syracuse Nationals The Philadelphia 76ers are an American basketball team currently playing in the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 76ers are third in NBA ...

played as a

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

team.
On January 19, 1963, Nationals beat the Celtics 149–148, their most points scored against the Celtics as a Syracuse team. It also was the most points the Celtics scored against the Nationals/76ers in a game overall.
Celtics win the Eastern Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (58–22).
Celtics win

1963 NBA Finals The 1963 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1963 NBA playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association 1962–63 season. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Division champion Los Ang ...

. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Neutral site games were played at * Rhode Island Auditorium *

Pittsburgh Civic Arena The Civic Arena, formerly the Civic Auditorium and later Mellon Arena, was an arena located in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Civic Arena primarily served as the home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the city's National Hockey League (NHL) ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

* Onondaga War Memorial,

Syracuse Nationals relocate to

and are renamed to the

.
Celtics record their 100th win over the 76ers.
Celtics win the Eastern Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (59–21).
Celtics win

1964 NBA Finals The 1964 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1964 NBA playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association 1963–64 season. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Division champion San Fr ...

. , - , , Tied , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics
, Neutral site games were played at * Madison Square Garden (III) * Rhode Island Auditorium * Onondaga War Memorial 76ers acquire

after the All-Star weekend.
Celtics win the Eastern Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (62–18).
, - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1965 Eastern Division Finals , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , , style=";" , Celtics
, 8th postseason series.
First postseason series as the Philadelphia 76ers.
Celtics go on to win

1965 NBA Finals The 1965 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1965 NBA playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association 1964–65 season. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Division champion Los Ang ...

. , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Neutral site game was played at Onondaga War Memorial.
76ers win the Eastern Division for the first time as a Philadelphia team, snapping the Celtic's nine consecutives divisional titles.
76ers finish with the best record in the league (55–25). , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1966 Eastern Division Finals , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , , style=";" , Celtics
, 9th postseason series.
Celtics go on to win

1966 NBA Finals The 1966 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1966 NBA playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1965–66 season. The Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics faced the Western Division ...

. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , , style=";" , Celtics
, On October 29, 1966, 76ers beat the Celtics 138–96, their largest victory overall against the Celtics with a 42-point differential.
76ers record their 100th win over the Celtics.
Last season 76ers played at Municipal Auditorium.
76ers win the Eastern Division.
76ers finish with the best record in the league (68–13). , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1967 Eastern Division Finals , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , Tie, , , style=";" , Celtics
, 10th postseason series.
First NBA playoff series to reach 10 occurrences.
First time 76ers win a postseason series against the Celtics as a Philadelphia team.
With the victory, 76ers snap Celtics' record-breaking eight consecutive NBA titles and ten consecutive NBA Finals appearances.
76ers go on to win

1967 NBA Finals The 1967 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1966–67 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and it was the conclusion of the 1967 NBA playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Divi ...

. , - , , Tied , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , , style=";" , Celtics
, 76ers open up The Spectrum.
76ers win the Eastern Division.
76ers finish with the best record in the league (62–20).
Last season Wilt Chamberlain played for the 76ers. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1968 Eastern Division Finals , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , 76ers, , , style=";" , Celtics
, 11th postseason series.
First time road team has the better record in a postseason series.
Celtics go on to win

1968 NBA Finals The 1968 NBA World Championship Series pitted the Boston Celtics from the East, against the Los Angeles Lakers from the West, for the sixth time in ten years. The Celtics won their tenth NBA Championship in twelve seasons, by defeating the Laker ...

.
Last postseason series Wilt Chamberlain played as a 76ers. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , , style=";" , Celtics
, 76ers trade Wilt Chamberlain to the

.
Final season for

. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1969 Eastern Division Semifinals , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , Tie, , , style=";" , Celtics
, 12th postseason series.
76ers and Celtics meet in the playoffs five consecutive times.
Celtics go on to win

1969 NBA Finals The 1969 NBA World Championship Series to determine the champion of the 1968–69 NBA season was played between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. The Lakers were heavily favored due to the presence of three formidable stars: Elgin Baylo ...

.
Bill Russell retires the following season. , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , 76ers, , , style=";" , Celtics
, On March 6, 1970, 76ers beat the Celtics 150–134, their most points scored against the Celtics in a game.
76ers finish with a winning record in Boston in the regular season for the first time since the 1949 season and the first time as a Philadelphia team.
76ers or Celtics did not reach the NBA Finals for the first time since the 1956 Finals. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , , style=";" , Celtics
, 76ers and Celtics are placed in the new Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Neutral site game was played at

Hersheypark Arena Hersheypark Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, managed by Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company. The arena has a seating capacity for hockey of 7,286 people and with standing room can fit in ...

Hershey Hershey may refer to: People * Hershey (name), a list of people with the surname, given name or nickname Places * Hershey, Nebraska, a village * Hershey, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community, home to the chocolate company * Hershey, Cuba ...

.
Celtics sweep the 76ers for the first time.
Celtics win the Atlantic Division for the first time. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Neutral site game was played at

Providence Civic Center The Amica Mutual Pavilion (originally Providence Civic Center and formerly Dunkin' Donuts Center ("The Dunk")) is an indoor arena located in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It was built in 1972, as a home court for the Providence College Fr ...

.
Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (68–14). , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Neutral site games were played at * Providence Civic Center * Hersheypark Arena Last season the rivalry is played at a neutral site.
On March 16, 1974, Celtics beat the 76ers 146–127, setting a record for most points scored against the 76ers that resulted in a win.
Celtics win 20 games in a row against the 76ers.
Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Celtics win

1974 NBA Finals The 1974 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1973–74 National Basketball Association (NBA) season. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks 4 games t ...

. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , Tie, , , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (60–22). , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Celtics win

1976 NBA Finals The 1976 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round for the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1975–76 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the West ...

. , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , Tie, , , style=";" , Celtics
, 76ers acquire

from the

New York Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

.
76ers win the Atlantic Division for the first time. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1977 Eastern Conference Semifinals , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , , style=";" , Celtics
, 13th postseason series.
76ers go on to lose

1977 NBA Finals The 1977 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1976–77 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers played aga ...

. , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , 76ers, , , style=";" , Celtics
, 76ers sweep Celtics for the first time in a season.
76ers win the Atlantic Division. , - , , Tied , , Tie, , Tie, , , style=";" , Celtics
, First time in the rivalry both teams split the series in both locations. , - , , Tied , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , , style=";" , Celtics
,

makes his debut for the Celtics.
Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (61–21). , - , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1980 Eastern Conference Finals , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics
, 14th postseason series.
76ers go on to lose

1980 NBA Finals The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1979–80 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the ...

. , - , , Tied , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (62–20). , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1981 Eastern Conference Finals , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, 15th postseason series.
Celtics record their 200th win over the 76ers.
Celtics go on to win

1981 NBA Finals The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1980–81 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It pitted the 62–20 Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics ...

. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (63–19). , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1982 Eastern Conference Finals , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics
, 16th postseason series.
76ers and Celtics meet in three consecutive Eastern Conference Finals.
76ers go on to lose

1982 NBA Finals The 1982 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1981–82 season, the top level of competition in men's professional basketball in North America. The series saw the Western Con ...

. , - , , Tied , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, 76ers win the Atlantic Division.
76ers finish with the best record in the league (65–17).
76ers win

1983 NBA Finals The 1983 NBA World Championship Series, also known as Showdown '83, was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1982–83 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It was the last NBA Championship Ser ...

. , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (62–20).
Celtics win

1984 NBA Finals The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1983–84 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Wes ...

. , - , , Tied , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (63–19). , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1985 Eastern Conference Finals , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, 17th postseason series.
76ers and Celtics meet in the Eastern Conference Finals four times in six years.
Celtics go on to lose

1985 NBA Finals The 1985 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1984–85 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It featured the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference pl ...

, their first NBA Finals loss since

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

, - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (67–15).
Celtics win

1986 NBA Finals The 1986 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1985–86 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It pitted the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics against the Western Con ...

. , - , , Tied , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Celtics lose

1987 NBA Finals The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1986–87 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the defending NBA ch ...

.
Last season for Julius Erving. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division. , - , , Tied , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, 76ers win the Atlantic Division. , - , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Final season for Larry Bird. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics
, Last season Celtics played at

. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics open up Fleet Center (now known as TD Garden).
Celtics sweep the 76ers for the first time since the 1972 season.
Last season 76ers played at CoreStates Spectrum (previously known as The Spectrum). , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics
, 76ers open up

CoreStates Center Wells Fargo Center (to be renamed to Xfinity Mobile Arena effective September 1, 2025) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Philadelphia. It serves as the home of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Philadel ...

(now known as Wells Fargo Center).
76ers finish with the better record in Boston for the first time since the 1983 season. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics
, Fewest number of games played (3) in a season since the 1949 season. , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics
, To date, first and only time 76ers and Celtics have finished a full decade without a playoff series. , - , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics
, 76ers record their 200th win over the Celtics.
76ers sweep the Celtics for the first time since the 1977 season.
76ers win the Atlantic Division.
76ers lose

2001 NBA Finals The 2001 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2000–01 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers to ...

. , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics
, 76ers win 8 games in a row against the Celtics, their longest winning streak against them. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 2002 Eastern Conference First Round , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, 18th postseason series.
First time both teams meet in the Eastern Conference First Round. , - , , Tied , , Tie, , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics
, , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics
, , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Celtics finish with the best record in the league (66–16).
Celtics win

2008 NBA Finals The 2008 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2007–08 NBA season, 2007–08 season and conclusion of 2008 NBA playoffs, the season's playoffs. A best-of-seven playoff series that was ...

. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Celtics lose

2010 NBA Finals The 2010 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2009–10 NBA season, 2009–10 season and conclusion of 2010 NBA playoffs, the season's playoffs, held from June 3 to 17, 2010. A best-of ...

. , - , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division. , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, 19th postseason series.
First time both teams meet in the Eastern Conference Semifinals since the

1977 NBA playoffs The 1977 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1976–77 NBA season, 1976–77 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champion 1976–77 Portland Trail ...

. , - , , Tied , , Tie, , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics
, , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics
, , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics record their 300th win over the 76ers. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win 11 games in a row against the 76ers.
Celtics win the Atlantic Division. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics
, On January 11, 2018, Celtics beat the 76ers 114–103 at

The O2 Arena The O2 Arena, commonly known as The O2, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of The O2 entertainment district on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London, England. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the third-highest seat ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The game is accounted as a 76ers home game. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 2018 Eastern Conference Semifinals , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, 20th postseason series.
First NBA playoff series to reach 20 occurrences. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics
, , - , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 2020 Eastern Conference First Round , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, 21st postseason series.
Celtics sweep 76ers for the first time since the 1957 playoffs.
76ers fire

Brett Brown Brett William Brown (born February 16, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Brown is a former college basketball player who previousl ...

following the sweep. , - , , style=";" , 76ers , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics
, 76ers sweep Celtics for the first time since the 2000 season.
76ers win the Atlantic Division. , - , , Tied , , Tie, , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics
, On February 15, 2022, Celtics beat the 76ers 135–87, their largest victory against the 76ers with a 48-point differential.
Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Celtics lose

2022 NBA Finals The 2022 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2021–22 NBA season, 2021–22 season and conclusion of the 2022 NBA playoffs, season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, ...

. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win the Atlantic Division. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics
, 22nd postseason series.
76ers fire

Doc Rivers Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). An NBA player for 14 seasons, he was an NB ...

after the playoff loss. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics
, Celtics win their first Maurice Podoloff Trophy (64–18).
Celtics win the Atlantic Division.
Celtics win

2024 NBA Finals The 2024 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2023–24 NBA season, 2023–24 season and conclusion to 2024 NBA playoffs, the season's playoffs. In the best-of-seven playoffs series, the Eastern ...

. , - , , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , Tie, , style=";" , Celtics , , - , - , Regular season games , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , , - , Postseason games , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , , Includes the 1954 Eastern Division Round Robin in which the Nationals won both games against the Celtics. , - , Postseason series , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , , Eastern Division Semifinals:

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

Eastern Division Finals:

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

Eastern Conference First Round:

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Eastern Conference Semifinals:

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

Eastern Conference Finals:

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

, - , Regular and postseason , style=";" , Celtics , style=";" , , style=";" , 76ers, , style=";" , Celtics, , style=";" , Celtics, , There were 34 total neutral site games played. * 9 games at Madison Square Garden (III) * 8 games at

* 6 games at

* 3 games at Onodaga War Memorial * 2 games at

and

* 1 game at

, Bangor Municipal Auditorium,

and

. , -

Individual Records

Top Scorers (Regular Season)

Per Game (Regular Season, min. 20 GP)

(PHI) – 27.1 (26 GP) #

(PHI) – 26.5 (34 GP) #

(BOS) – 23.4 (61 GP) #

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT and CBS Sports. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "the Bread Truck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", ...

(PHI) – 23.0 (41 GP) #

(PHI) – 22.6 (31 GP) #

(PHI) – 22.0 (57 GP) #

(BOS) – 21.7 (55 GP) John Havlicek 1960s

Top Scorers (NBA Playoffs)

Per Game (Playoffs)

(PHI) – 30.0 (5 GP) #

(BOS) – 26.8 (16 GP) #

(PHI) – 25.9 (15 GP) #

George Yardley George Harry Yardley III (November 3, 1928 – August 12, 2004) was an American basketball player. He was the first player in NBA history to score 2,000 points in one season, breaking the 1,932-point record held by George Mikan. Yardley was ens ...

(SYR) – 25.7 (5 GP) #

(PHI) – 25.6 (24 GP)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:76ers-Celtics rivalry Philadelphia 76ers Boston Celtics NBA rivalries