BOSTON — With under four minutes left and the Boston Celtics holding a comfortable lead in what would be a 112-96 Game 7 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the TD Garden fans started chanting in unison.
“We want Philly, we want Philly,” they said,
Now they have Philly.
The third-seeded 76ers will meet the second-seeded Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinal that begins Monday in Boston.
Just moments after the win, Celtics coach Brad Stevens showed the upmost respect for his next opponent.
“They are playing great; they have a great team, a great coach and I think that everybody talks about (Joel) Embiid and (Ben) Simmons and rightfully so, but the skill they have added to their team and their other young guys getting better, obviously (JJ) Redick’s presence has just opened everything up,” Stevens said.