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 NBA.com's Complete Playoff Coverage |
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Season Series Recap (Sixers 3- Celtics 1)
76ers 96, Boston 91 (March 22)
The Sixers came away with a costly victory at the Fleet Center, taking a thrilling 96-91 win over the Celtics, but lost Allen Iverson in the process. The injury occurred in the first quarter when Tony Battie fouled Iverson with 7:01to play. Iverson remained in the game, playing all 24 first half minutes and scoring 22 points, including 3 three-pointers. The Sixers trailed 50-45 at half when Iverson was taken for x-rays that revealed a spiral fracture of the left 2nd metacarpal and will force him to miss 4-6 weeks. With Iverson out, the Sixers responded with a total team effort. Philadelphia hung close in the third, forcing 8 ties. Speedy Claxton scored 7 of his 11 points in the quarter, while Raja Bell drained two three pointers to help the Sixers get within 77-76 at the end three. In the fourth quarter, Eric Snow scored 10 points and Derrick Coleman added 6 more including 6 straight as the Sixers built a 92-86 lead with 5 minutes to play. After Antoine Walker scored 4 straight points to get the Celtics within 92-90 with 2:12 to play, Snow knifed through the lane for a lay-up to give Philadelphia a 94-90 advantage and the Celtics did not score from the field again. Coleman finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Snow neared a triple-double with 17 point, 9 assists and 9 rebounds. For Boston Paul Pierce had 26 points.
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Celtics 100, 76ers 94 (March 4):
The Celtics snapped an 8-game losing streak to the Sixers including 5 straight loses at the First Union Center by defeating the 76ers 100-94. Both teams struggled from the field in the first 12 minutes, shooting a combined 14-44 (31.8 percent). The Celtics were able to escape the first with one-point advantage, 20-19. In the second, the Celtics extended their lead by outscoring the Sixers 28-22 earning a 48-41 lead at the half. Behind 12 points from Allen Iverson, and a 22-4 mid-quarter run, the Sixers grabbed a 9-point lead, 65-56, with 3:33 left in the third. The Celtics came right back with a 16-4 run of their own to end the quarter and regain a three point lead, 72-69. The Sixers could not overcome the Celtic slim lead in the forth as they dropped their first game in the month of March. Iverson led the way for the Sixers scoring 28 while Derrick Coleman chipped in with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Celtics two All-Stars Paul Pierce (28 pts) and Antoine Walker (17 pts) combined for 45 points, while Rodney Rodgers pumped in 15 off the bench.
The Sixers won the season series for the fourth straight year.
76ers 106, Celtics 90 (January 25):
Allen Iverson scored a Fleet Center record 47 points and lifted the 76ers to the 106-90 win at Boston. Iverson was 16-31 from the field, including 4 three-point field goals. The Sixers scored the game’s first 6 points and never trailed again. The only negative on the Sixers end was the loss of Aaron McKie in the second quarter with a mild left Achilles tendon strain. Dikembe Mutombo (15 points, 12 rebounds) and Derrick Coleman (11 points and 11 rebounds) each added double-doubles. Speedy Claxton came off the bench to add 10 points in 20 minutes. The Sixers, who led by as much as 71-53 in the third quarter, saw their lead slip to 94-90 on a 9-0 Boston run with 4:03 to play in the game. Eric Snow, who had been hampered by foul trouble, stopped the run with a finger roll layup, and the Celtics never scored again as the Sixers ran off 12 unanswered points. The Sixers went to the line a season high 39 times and converted a high of 35 free throws. Paul Pierce led the Cs with 30 points and 13 rebounds. It was the eighth straight win over Boston for the Sixers.
The Celtics snapped a five-game losing streak at the First Union Center.
76ers 99, Celtics 83 (December 17)
The 76ers won back-to-back games for the first time since November 23, defeating the Celtics 99-83 at the First Union Center. The Sixers jumped out to a 30-21 lead at the end of the first quarter. Allen Iverson led the way with 14 points in the first quarter and then added another 10 in the second to help the Sixers take a 51-35 lead into the half. The Celtic’s 35 points in the half tied a Sixers’ opponent season-low. Dikembe Mutombo scored 11 points and snatched 12 rebounds in the first half to record his team-leading 11th double-double of the season; he finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds. In the third quarter, the Celtics cut the lead to nine with 3:41 remaining, but the Sixers ended the period on a 13-1 run led by Aaron McKie’s nine straight points, to close with a 78-57 lead entering the final quarter of play. Iverson scored a game-high 37 points, while Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 24.
