The Boston Celtics fought off elimination in Philly, winning Game 6 95-86. Jayson Tatum struggled like we’ve never seen through the first 3 quarters, but came up huge in the 4th. Marcus Smart had a big game for Boston.
Doc Rivers has enjoyed a very successful career as an NBA head coach, including a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2007-08.
But for most of his coaching career, his teams often have struggled to win Game 7s.
And that's one reason why Philadelphia 76ers fans should be nervous entering Sunday's Game 7 against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.
Eddie House has great reaction to Tatum's incredible Game 6 finish
Rivers has a 6-9 record in Game 7s as a head coach. Those nine Game 7 defeats are the most of any coach in league history and four more than any other coach.
Rivers' teams have lost nine consecutive games when they had a chance to clinch a spot in the conference finals, including Thursday night's Game 6 loss to the Celtics at home. His last conference finals appearance was in 2012 against the Miami Heat as head coach of the Celtics. The C's won Game 5 of that series on the road to go up 3-2, lost in Game 6 at home and then were defeated in Game 7. The exact same scenario could unfold this weekend for the Sixers.
The Celtics, meanwhile, are 5-2 in their last seven Game 7s at home. They are 5-1 in their last six overall since 2012. Jaylen Brown is 4-1 in Game 7s since entering the league in 2016-17. Jayson Tatum is 3-1 in his career.
Boston Celtics
Find the latest Boston Celtics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
The 76ers could win Sunday, make no mistake about that. They've already won two games in Boston during this second-round series, but the historical trends don't favor them entering Game 7.