CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers have their collective backs against the wall. They are down 2-1 following a disheartening Game 3 loss to the Boston Celtics and are in a must-win position ahead of Game 4.
The Sixers will not be eliminated if they lose on Sunday, but it would be a tall ask to rally from a 3-1 deficit with the Celtics home for Game 5.
Heading into Game 4, the Sixers will have to show heart. They had won a lot of games during the regular season that they shouldn’t have as they have overcome obstacles that they wouldn’t have in the past. Now they’ll have to do it again.
“The series is 2-1,” said Tobias Harris. “We have another game tomorrow (Sunday) at home and that’s just the playoffs and understanding this is how it goes from time to time. They’ve played well the last two games, but for us, it’s about figuring out how we can be at our best to get a victory tomorrow.”
The Sixers just have to continue to compete. They are down, but they aren’t necessarily out of it. It just depends on which Sixers team shows up on Sunday afternoon. Will it be the team that has shown toughness all season long? Or will it be the Sixers of the past who have let opportunities slip away?
“Our backs are against the wall,” Tyrese Maxey said. “We’re gonna out there and compete extremely hard. Every guy on this team, we’ve done it all year. We’ve been determined when people count us out and things like that and we go out there and prove them wrong.”
All the Sixers can focus on is Game 4. They shouldn’t be looking ahead at all. This is all about getting back into this series and being able to earn a 2-2 split.
“We’re not going to be in here hanging our heads like something catastrophic happened,” Harris added. “You just gotta be ready to play and come out there and play the right way and able to get a victory.”
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