Sixers not consumed by past second-round failures: ‘None of that matters’

BOSTON — The 76ers plan to do something that the franchise hasn’t accomplished since 2001: Advance out of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

It’s why the Sixers hired coach Doc Rivers and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey in 2020. It’s why they acquired James Harden in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets last season. And it’s why they added P.J. Tucker, De’Anthony Melton, and Danuel House Jr. this past offseason.

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The Sixers’ goal is to win the NBA title. But you can’t win one without first advancing beyond the second round, where they’re 1-11 in their last 12 appearances. They suffered conference semifinal exits in four of the past five seasons. They were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of 2020, the lone season they didn’t reach the second round during that stretch.

But Harden said getting the monkey off their backs has not been a topic of discussion as the Sixers prepare to face the Celtics at 7:30 p.m. Monday in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series at TD Garden.

“I think, for us, we focus on what we can control,” Harden said, “and that’s game by game, possession by possession. So for us, it’s just Game 1, taking it for what it is, possession by possession, quarter by quarter. And try to be the best that we can be.

“We can’t focus on things that have happened in the past.”

Harden added that he also can’t focus on previous individual struggles. The 10th-time All-Star’s career has been filled with postseason shortcomings. In last season’s conference semifinals, he was a fourth-quarter no-show against the Miami Heat. He attempted just one shot in the final period of the elimination game and made a combined 6 of 9 shots in the final quarter for the series.

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“I can’t focus on things that didn’t go well in the past or whatever the case may be,” Harden said. “It is what it is. Whether it’s individual or the team, none of that matters.

“You gotta take it and live in the moment and be present.”

There’s been a lot of parity in the postseason. The East’s No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks and fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers suffered first-round exits. The West’s second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies were also sent packing.

“It’s been that way all year,” Celtics guard Derrick White said. “That’s the crazy thing about the playoffs, that teams are ready and anybody can be beaten and anybody can win. So it’s going to be a challenge every night.”

The Bucks lost to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in five games. Cleveland lost in five games to the fifth-seeded New York Knicks. And the Grizzlies were defeated by the seventh-seeded Lakers in six games.

So, for the first time in league history, a first seed (Denver), second seed (Boston), third seed (Sixers), fourth seed (Phoenix), fifth seed (New York), sixth seed (Golden State), seventh seed (Los Angeles Lakers), and an eighth seed (Miami) advanced out of the first round.

White has only been a Celtic since Feb. 10, 2022, playing in just five games against the Sixers.

But the shooting guard was asked at Monday’s shootaround if he sees the Sixers as a rival, and whether the Celtics talk about the history between the two teams.

“I think we’re all aware of the history,” White said. “This will be my first [playoff] series against Philly. I think the crowd and everything is a little bit different when it’s Boston and Philly.”

The Sixers/Syracuse Nationals and Celtics have played 572 games — postseason included — with Boston holding a 329-243 advantage. The Celtics have a 267–196 regular-season record against the Sixers. They also take a 62–47 postseason edge heading into Monday.

This is the 22nd postseason series between the franchises. Boston has won 14 of the previous 21, including the last five and six of the last seven. The last time Philly beat Boston in a playoff series was in the 1982 Eastern Conference finals. They prevailed in seven games.

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