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The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers already have the NBA’s most extensive playoff rivalry, and the latest chapter got kicked off with a bang thanks in part to a controversial incident in the closing minutes of Monday’s game.
The teams met in the opening game of the Eastern Conference semifinal on May 1, with the shorthanded Sixers pulling off a 119-115 upset on the road to steal home-court advantage in the series. The game had a tense moment with just over 5 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when Sixers veteran P.J. Tucker swung his arm around and connected with the groin of Celtics star Jayson Tatum, sending Tatum to the floor in obvious pain.
While replays — and the TNT broadcast crew — seemed to conclude that it was inadvertent, some Celtics fans weren’t so sure.
Celtics Fans Angry Over ‘Cheap Shot’ to Jayson Tatum
The play took place as Tatum found Malcolm Brogdon for a transition layup to give the Celtics a 104-102 lead. As Tatum continued running down the court, Tucker swung his arm in apparent frustration and connected with Tatum. Tucker was facing away at the time, and it was unclear if he could see Tatum behind him.
Tensions rose immediately, with both benches briefly clearing as players exchanged some heated words while Tatum remained on the floor.
Some Celtics fans believed that the hit appeared to be intentional.
“Nice little cheap shot by PJ Tucker there. Subtle, yet effective,” one person tweeted after the play.
Others were upset that officials did not review the play to see if Tucker may have committed a flagrant foul.
“Lol, no review on the PJ Tucker cheap shot. Laughable,” one person wrote on Twitter.
But others noted that while the play appeared to be very painful for the Celtics star, there did not seem to be any intention on Tucker’s part.
“That is a vicious (and seemingly accidental) ball tap of Tatum by Tucker,” tweeted Philly Voice reporter Kyle Neubeck, who added that Tucker was “swinging his arm yelling at his teammates” and could not see Tatum.
Sixers Hold on for Key Victory
Tatum was able to return to play after the hit, but the Sixers grabbed control down the final stretch to seize the victory. Though MVP candidate Joel Embiid was out for the second straight game with a knee injury, James Harden stepped up with a career-high 45 points including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 8.7 seconds remaining.
After the game, Harden said the Sixers weren’t intimidated despite coming into Boston without their star big man.
“We didn’t come into the game expecting to lose. We came in here to win,” Harden said, via The Associated Press. “Whether Jo comes back or not, we’re going to be ready to go.”
It remains unclear exactly when Embiid might return to the Sixers, and The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on April 29 that his injury is more serious than initially known.
“The knee injury 76ers star Joel Embiid suffered April 20 is considered to be more serious than a Grade 1 LCL sprain,” Charania tweeted, adding that Embiid was considered doubtful for Monday’s Game 1, which he ultimately sat out.
The Celtics will host Game 2 on Wednesday, with the series moving to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday.
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