The 76ers entered TD Garden on Monday night facing an uphill climb against the Celtics with MVP favorite Joel Embiid out with injury.
Philadelphia fans, have no fear: The Beard is here.
James Harden rose to the occasion and turned in a star performance, erupting for 45 points to stun the Boston crowd and lead the Sixers to a 119–115 Game 1 win. Harden made clutch plays throughout the second half, though none was bigger than his step-back, go-ahead three-pointer that gave Philadelphia a two-point lead with eight seconds remaining.
