The Philadelphia 76ers have finally broken through the glass ceiling that the Boston Celtics placed them under. Boston had defeated Philadelphia in the playoffs in each of their three meetings during the Joel Embiid era, but in Game 7 of their first-round matchup in 2026, the 76ers finally broke through.
The price of victory may be devastating, as Embiid appeared to suffer a knee injury late in Game 7, but for now, the 76ers can celebrate the process finally starting to pay off with a win over the Celtics.
It’s currently known how severe Embiid’s injury is, and it may take time before such information is made available. What’s unavoidable, however, is that Embiid was limping up and down the court before ultimately exiting the game late in the fourth.
The potential injury can be seen in the video below, as Maxey’s full weight came crashing into Embiid’s knee and caused an awkward physical reaction.
Tyrese Maxey fell into Joel Embiid knee 🙏 pic.twitter.com/TP5mhA8UxY
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) May 3, 2026
At this point, one can only hope that Embiid avoided a serious injury and, in the meantime, celebrate the fact that Philadelphia has finally defeated Boston with him leading the charge.
Joel Embiid finally defeats the Celtics in the playoffs
Embiid was still playing his heart out after bumping into Maxey. Shortly before leaving the game, he dove for a loose ball in an effort that further set the tone for what was a sensational team effort against a Celtics team that consistently delivered heartbreak.
Embiid left the game shortly thereafter, but the fact that he was willing to push through the pain and make such a concerted effort to win speaks volumes about how important this game was.
Thankfully, Embiid was deservedly seen on the court celebrating with his teammates once the 76ers’ 109-100 victory was officially secured. The optimistic view would thus be that he wasn’t in need of immediate medical attention and thus avoided a severe injury.
Regardless of what comes next, Embiid has offered a degree of vindication for Philadelphia remaining committed to him during trying times.
It must also be noted that the win was secured due in no small part to Embiid’s personal dominance. He embraced the legacy game in front of him and went off to the tune of 34 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and one block, tormenting the Celtics on both ends of the floor.
All 76ers fans can do now is keep their fingers crossed that Embiid avoided the worst-case scenario and will be able to bounce back once the jarring pain wears off for Round 2.
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