FLASH REVIEW – Sunday’s Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals saw the Boston Celtics overcome the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 112 to 88 thanks to a record-breaking 51 points from Jayson Tatum and a 28 to 3 surge in the third quarter.

With his 51 points, Tatum eclipsed Stephen Curry’s previous NBA record of 50 points in a Game 7 from earlier in this postseason. Tatum made 17 of her 28 field goal attempts, making 6 of her 10 3-point tries. In addition, Tatum had two steals, 13 rebounds, and five assists.

The most points ever scored in a playoff game by a Celtics player belongs to John Havlicek. In the opening game of the 1973 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks, Havlicek scored 54 points.

The second-seeded Celtics, who will play the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, received an additional 25 points from Jaylen Brown. Wednesday marks the start of the best-of-seven series in Boston.

The NBA’s Most Valuable Player this season, Joel Embiid, scored 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting from the field. In the second half, he was limited to just two points.

With 19 points, Tobias Harris was Philadelphia’s top scorer and third seed. James Harden had nine points, seven assists, and six rebounds in the final scoring.

Boston overcame Philadelphia’s 33-10 third-quarter deficit to take command of the contest. With 11:37 left in the third, the score was knotted 55 to 55, then Boston went on a 31-point run. In the third quarter, the 76ers went 6:23 without scoring.

Despite outscoring Philadelphia by nine points in the second quarter to take a 55 to 52 advantage into halftime, Boston trailed Philadelphia 29 to 23 after one quarter. Tatum finished the first half with 25 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

We simply handled the ups and downs of the series, according to Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. Never experienced extreme emotional highs or lows. The playoffs need us to maintain our composure under pressure, and we were able to do that.

For the first time since 2001, Philadelphia was seeking to move past the Eastern Conference semifinals as it trailed 88 to 62 after three quarters.