Sixers-Celtics. Magic-Pistons. Raptors-Cavaliers. The first round of the NBA playoffs rolls on with not one, not two, but three series-deciding Game 7s — all in the Eastern Conference. It’s the most Game 7s in the first round since 2014.
So, who will advance? And are the Knicks, who have already earned their spot in Round 2, the team to beat in the East? Our writers weigh in.
Sixers-Celtics, Game 7: Who wins?
Tom Haberstroh: Celtics. The Celtics have shot below 30% from deep in the last two games, which is unconscionable with all the shooting talent on this team. Three straight games south of 30% on 3s? That’s never happened in the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown playoff era, and I don’t see the drought continuing.
Steve Jones: Celtics. The Sixers have delivered the right blend to get to this Game 7. Joel Embiid’s presence has elevated them in the half-court, Paul George has contributed on both ends, and Tyrese Maxey has gotten more aggressive and decisive as the series has wore on. But I expect a level of desperation from the Celtics in Game 7, a willingness to try anything defensively (or lineup-wise) to take one of the Sixers’ dominoes off the board. The Garden will have its anxious moments, but the Celtics win.
Dan Titus: Sixers. The momentum belongs to Philly. It’s hard to believe, but Boston’s starting lineup has been the worst offensive unit thus far in the postseason. Expect Philly to throw the kitchen sink defensively because when the Celtics shoot 30% from 3, they lose. If the Sixers ditch the slow starts, attack in transition and continue to play unselfishly through Embiid, the curse ends tonight. Give me the road dog Sixers.
Ben Rohrbach: Celtics. These teams are far more even than I figured at series’ start, especially since Embiid returned to the lineup for the 76ers. But the Celtics have not lost three games in a row since the first three games of the regular season, when they were a different team. It’s hard to imagine Brown and Tatum blowing three games at home in this series, too, including a Game 7, but I don’t feel great about the pick. The Sixers absolutely have a chance.
Magic-Pistons, Game 7: Who wins?
Rohrbach: Pistons. The Magic have to be shell-shocked after blowing a 24-point lead in the second half of what would have been a close-out Game 6 for them in Orlando. I don’t know how they recover from that, especially if Franz Wagner is not available. Meanwhile, a 60-win No. 1 seed at home in Game 7 of a first-round playoff series seems like a safe bet. In this rock fight of a series, though, anything is possible. I just trust Cade Cunningham more than Paolo Banchero.
Titus: Pistons. How do you go 45 real minutes without a field goal? Orlando has been the more physically imposing team, but after a comeback like that, I don’t think the Magic will recover. The Detroit fan base needs this and, led by Cunningham, we’ll see a more prepared and assertive version of the Pistons, who are looking to avoid becoming the seventh team in NBA history to lose as a 1-seed in the first round.
Haberstroh: Pistons. I guess? I’ll take the 60-win team at home, but considering both teams have suffered identity crises every other quarter in the series, I have the confidence of a kindergartener tying their shoes on the first day of school.
Jones: Pistons. The good news for the Magic is it can’t go any worse than shooting 4 for 37 in the second half of Game 6. They can still battle defensively and hope for shot-making in the fourth. The LCA should be rocking, though, and the Pistons should feel a level of freedom. Cunningham’s play has gotten more attention from the Magic’s defense, which has unlocked parts of the Pistons’ offense. Plus, when I was 16, I told my dad there was no way the 8-seed, T-Mac-led Magic would lose to the Pistons. They lost to the Pistons.
Raptors-Cavaliers, Game 7: Who wins?
Jones: Cavaliers. The Raptors have consistently remained annoying in this series. Physical on both ends of the floor, Darko Rajaković has had his team prepared, Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett have willed the Raptors without Brandon Ingram. While the Raptors have worked to scheme and double James Harden and Donovan Mitchell out of rhythm, I anticipate the Cavs stars will put their stamp on this game. You came together for a reason, and this Game 7 is it.
Haberstroh: Raptors. Harden has lost his last three Game 7s including a seven-point dud against Denver last year and a nine-point whiff against Boston in 2023. The Raptors’ youth and gnarly defense will serve them well against a Cleveland core that hasn’t been known to stand up against adversity.
Rohrbach: Cavaliers. Man, has Scottie Barnes been a revelation in Toronto. He will have his Raptors playing hard, and that is a scary proposition for a Cleveland team that carries Harden’s big-game woes into a Game 7. But this is what the Cavs have Mitchell for. I just think there’s too much talent in Cleveland, and if the Cavs can harness their effort into one game — at home — they can meet Toronto’s intensity and trust in Mitchell to carry them into Round 2.
Titus: Cavaliers. Toronto stole Game 6, but I think Cleveland will figure it out at home in Game 7. Of course, the narrative surrounding Harden in these moments will be the headlines, but having Mitchell to relieve some of that pressure is key. Toronto’s defense has been great, but this one will come down to experience. The Cavs have it, and I think they get it done in convincing fashion, especially if Evan Mobley keeps playing well.
True or False: The Knicks are the team to beat in the East.
Titus: True. Of course there’s some recency bias here, but it’s more about the inconsistencies or lapses we’ve seen from the top seeds throughout the first round in the East. The Knicks have at least shown the ability to shift their game plan from a more Jalen Brunson-centric offense to one that allows Karl-Anthony Towns to take on more offensive responsibilities. Their depth and flexibility will be important as they navigate these next rounds. They have the wing defenders and the bigs to cover the best of what’s left. Now they just have to execute.
Rohrbach: True? Everyone in the East has looked shaky, including the Knicks at the start of their series, but they seemed to have found themselves — that hard-charging identity that made them so scary for a stint in last year’s playoffs — in Games 5 and 6 of their series with Atlanta. Who is to say whether the Pistons, Celtics or Cavaliers can rediscover what has made them so formidable over the course of a Game 7, but only one team right now knows who they really are.
Jones: Going to lean false, mainly because, uh, the rest of the East has a lot to worry about before they can get to the Knicks. The big positive is the Knicks did get proof of concept of being able to elevate in the playoffs. The defense raised its level as the series wore on. Brunson and Towns were able to find counters. OG Anunoby would not stop making shots. Josh Hart would not stop defending. The Hawks gave them a taste of what they could see going forward. Figuring that out should give the Knicks confidence.
Haberstroh: True. At least with this Karl-Anthony Towns, who just ripped off two triple-doubles. The Knicks center just registered 36 assists in the Atlanta series, which is more than KAT totaled in the entire playoff run last year with the Knicks (24 in 18 games) and more than his first three postseasons runs combined (34 in 16 games). Something changed and so did the title favorite out East.
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