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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 29: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics and Jaylen Brown #7 look on in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden on April 29, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Boston Celtics travel back to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers as the first round of the playoffs continues.

This rivalry is not ready to die. Not now, perhaps not ever.

Boston lost Game 5 at home in a shockingly disappointing fashion, losing by 16 points after some awful shooting paired with dominance from Joel Embiid in the second half. 

The Celtics had no answers, Embiid had them all. 

GettyJoel 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.

He bullied Boston’s bigs, was a dancing bear in the paint, shot anything and everything he wanted. Soon enough, the sound of Embiid’s swishes was more audible than the Celtics crowd.

The Sixers mounted a dominant fourth-quarter rally led by Embiid’s 33 points and eight assists. Boston now heads to Philadelphia, but it will have the momentum from recent history firmly in favor.

Boston Celtics Met With Encouraging Development

Recent playoff history and current home record heavily favor the visiting Celtics in this elimination scenario for Philadelphia. 

According to Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer, this trend of home hiccups in the postseason might be Philadelphia’s biggest Achilles heel.

“Recent playoff history is not on the Sixers’ side. They have not won a home Game 6 since the 2019 second round against the Toronto Raptors, which forced the Game 7 now immortalized by Kawhi Leonard’s multi-bouncing game-winner,” Mizell wrote.

“Those home Game 6 blunders include the 2023 matchup against the Celtics, when the Sixers held a fourth-quarter lead with a chance to close out the series and fell apart. The Sixers then lost by 24 points in Game 7 in Boston, leading to the firing of then-coach Doc Rivers.”

Sixers Must Tackle Home Record or Face Elimination 

Philadelphia saved its season with that Game 5 win, but any excitement of having a Game 6 at home will be quenched by not just its playoff Game 6 record but also a concerning home record.

The Sixers seem to be better this season when playing outside of the Xfinity Mobile Arena. They went 23-18 at home, the fewest home wins of any playoff team in either conference. 

The Sixers two wins in this first round have come at the TD Garden. They have dropped both home games in this series so far and while Game 3 was a close eight-point loss, Game 4 was anything but as they lost by 32 points.

They outscored Boston by 28-11 in the final period, but the Celtics remain the clear favorite with superior depth. However, with Embiid on the floor, the Sixers can always pose a serious challenge.

For Philadelphia to effectively force a Game 7 back to Boston, they will need near-perfect execution of Game 5. Embiid in particular must replicate or exceed his Game 5 output. 

They held Boston to under 100 points for the second time in this series and they won both games. A defensive clinic against Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will be the key to winning. 

The unpredictability of the East’s first round matchups has been worthy to note. Every team now has at least two series victories meaning the series will be decided in Game 6 or 7. 

In the Sixers case, they were mostly seen as underdogs in this round against Boston, however, surpassing the Celtics will have to come down to two more games.