Getty

Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts as Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics walks away during Game 5 of their first-round playoff series at TD Garden on April 28, 2026.

The Philadelphia 76ers are on the brink of a special comeback against the Boston Celtics in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs that could go a long way toward redefining the Joel Embiid era with the franchise.

None of that is lost on Embiid, a former league MVP who has yet to appear in a conference finals game despite a decade of NBA activity after the Sixers drafted him early in Round 1 back in 2014.

“I’ve been playing these guys for so long. I’m tired of losing to them. We have a chance to accomplish something special,” Embiid said after Philadelphia captured Game 6 on Thursday, April 30. “We’ve just gotta go in there with the mindset we’ve had for the last two games.”

The 76ers trailed the Celtics 3-1 in the series before storming back to win Game 5 in Boston and Game 6 in Philly by 16 points and 13 points, respectively. Embiid had 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists Thursday night after pouring in 33 points in Game 5, adding eight assists and four rebounds.

Embiid did not play in Games 1-3 of this series due to an appendectomy near the end of the regular season. The Sixers fell behind the Celtics 2-1, and then got blown out in Game 4 upon Embiid’s first action.

Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Left Game 6 With Possible Calf Injury

GettyJayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.

The 76ers will travel back to Boston for a deciding Game 7 at TD Garden on Saturday.

Perhaps the greatest question heading into that contest involves the health of Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum, who left Game 6 on Thursday night during the third quarter with tightness in his calf and did not return.

“I wasn’t overly concerned,” Tatum said during the postgame press conference. “You guys probably saw when I went to the back. Saw me on the bike. My leg just was a little stiff when I came out [in the] third quarter.”

Calf concerns are closely correlated with Achilles injuries, one of which Tatum sustained during the second round of last year’s playoffs against the New York Knicks. That tendon rupture cost him the remainder of the 2025 postseason as well as most of the 2025-26 regular season.

Tatum explained to reporters that the calf stiffness he experienced in Game 6 occurred in the opposite leg to the one he injured so severely approximately one year ago.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla also indicated that Tatum’s calf issue was not overly serious.

“He went in the back, just got stretched, got some treatment,” Mazzulla said. “That was about it.”

76ers, Celtics Headed to Game 7 in Boston on Saturday for Right to Face Knicks in Round 2

GettyTyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Given Tatum’s response to questions about his calf, it appears there is a reasonable chance he will be able to play in Game 7, potentially at full strength.

Meanwhile, Embiid has appeared to get stronger as the series has progressed and should be the same version of himself this weekend when it is ultimately decided.

The winner of Game 7 between the No. 7-seeded 76ers and No. 2-seeded Celtics will take on the No. 3 seed Knicks, who finished off the No. 6 seed Atlanta Hawks on Thursday in their opening series by a tally of 4-2.