Jaylen Brown emerged from a heavy fall, covered in blood, and revived after being punched in the face, which was eventually called a foul on Philadelphia's James Harden.
The Celtics are definitely storming TD Garden. They are 3-3 at home in this playoff. And of course, the Bruins lost in the first round in the same building.
But on a hot Sunday afternoon, Boston bounced back, rolling past Philadelphia for a 112–88 victory in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
"There's nothing like a slap to wake you up right away," says Brown. "It lights up the garden. For the last game, I called Garden and what a way to answer. The energy of the building is over the top, it's amazing. Anyone who supports the Celtics, I feel like we could feel that energy tonight and it definitely carried over. We need a little more of this.
Brown, who took off his protective mask before getting punched in the face, joked after the Mother's Day win that his mom would probably explain why he had to wear it.
The Celtics enter Sunday's game with heavyweight MVP contenders Joel Embiid and three-time champion James Harden. Marcus Smart said the matchup will be similar to Ali vs. Frazier.
But the Celtics finished early. So early that "Geno Time" video of the unattainable play appeared just under four minutes into the fourth quarter, with the Celtics leading by 30 points.
That's followed by a couple of home games at TD Garden on Wednesday and Friday to open the Eastern Conference finals against Miami.
"I went home and had a glass of (Italian red) wine and started watching a movie about Miami," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said after celebrating his first Game 7 win.
Boston was being outscored 33-5 by Philadelphia in the third quarter and the 66ers were ready to finally give up. The mood at TD Garden quickly turned to celebration after Jason Tatum scored a season-high 51 points in Game 7.
Super Bowl LIII MVP Julian Edelman was drinking beer and clinking glasses when the comedian dropped his microphone at the end of his performance. exclaimed Patriots owner Robert Kraft. "Let's go" to the applause of the crowd. Celtics fans cheered for the Sixers as the Celtics finished the fourth quarter.
"I have to give credit to the crowd," Tatum said. "Perhaps this is the busiest time of the year in the Gardens. We have been given this energy. The energy they have today helps… they feed us, we feed them, the building just shook. Everyone stands up. My emotions overwhelm me in a good way.
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From Julian Edelman drinking beer to Geno Time in Game 7, TD Garden brings Boston.com back for the first time.
