:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72278912/1253838463.0.jpg "NBA playoffs history: How many Game 7s have 76ers played? What is their record?")
The season will be on the line for the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday as they hit the road to meet the Boston Celtics for Game 7 of their second round series. The winner will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Miami Heat. Boston enters the matchup as a 6.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.
The 76ers as a franchise have played 17 Game 7's in history, dating back to their origins as the Syracuse Nationals. Most of them have ended in heartbreak as they've posted a 6-11 record in said elimination games. The team's most recent Game 7 came in 2021, where they were bounced from the second round by the Atlanta Hawks in a 103-96 loss. That game is best remembered for the now infamous moment where Ben Simmons passed up what would've been an easy game-tying layup as he stood right under the basket. Prior to that, the 76ers' most recent Game 7 came in 2019 against the Toronto Raptors, where Kawhi Leonard ripped their hearts out with a buzzer-beater.
Philly's most recent Game 7 victory came during the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals, where MVP Allen Iverson led the team to a 108-91 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks to clinch a spot in the NBA Finals. That series victory came right after an entertaining second-round battle against the Raptors, where the 76ers defeated Vince Carter and company by one point in Game 7.
As for the Celtics, the Sixers have a 2-5 record all time against them in Game 7s. The most recent time these two teams faced off in a Game 7 was in 2012, where Boston won a low-scoring 85-75 affair to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The only times Philly has won a Game 7 over Boston was during the height of the Julius Erving era in 1977 and 1981.