Division rivals clash as the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers will meet in the Eastern Conference Semifinals after both won their opening round series in the 2012 NBA Playoffs.
Boston, the No. 4 seed in the East, took care of the No. 5 seeded Atlanta Hawks, winning in six games after a 83-80 victory on Thursday night. Philadelphia, the No. 8 seed in the East, eliminated the No. 1 seeded Chicago Bulls with a 79-78 win in Game 6 on Thursday.
Boston and Philadelphia met three times in the regular season, and the Sixers won the first two meetings by a combined 45 points. Evan Turner's career game (26 points) led Philly to a dominant 32-point win, 103-71, in the series opener on March 7. Boston lost again in the second meeting, this time by 13 points (99-86), on March 23 in the finale of a season-long eight-game road trip. Boston beat Philly in the season series finale, 103-79, on April 8.
The last postseason meeting between the Celtics and 76ers came in the 2002 NBA Playoffs, when Boston edged Philly, 3-2, in a best-of-five opening round series. Boston went on to beat the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, 4-1, before losing to the New Jersey Nets, 4-2, in an exciting Eastern Conference Finals series.
Dates, times and broadcast information for the second round have not yet been released.
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