Boston drafted Jaylen Brown third overall in 2016. Over the next 10 seasons he became one half of the most successful duo in the league, next to Jayson Tatum.

He made five All-Star teams, played in six conference finals and two NBA Finals, and was named Finals MVP when the Celtics won the 2024 title.

Tatum tore his right Achilles tendon in the 2025 playoffs and missed most of 2025-26. Brown carried the load and had the best season of his career: 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 71 games. He was the league’s fourth-leading scorer and finished sixth in MVP voting.

Boston went 56-26 and finished second in the East. Philadelphia went 45-37 and came in seventh. It was the 23rd playoff meeting between the two franchises, a league record, and the Celtics had won the previous six series.

Boston won three of the first four games. Then the 76ers won three in a row.

1. Game 1Celtics 123, 76ers 91
2. Game 276ers 111, Celtics 97
3. Game 3Celtics 108, 76ers 100
4. Game 4Celtics 128, 76ers 96. Boston leads 3-1
5. Game 576ers 113, Celtics 97
6. Game 676ers 106, Celtics 93
7. Game 7, May 276ers 109, Celtics 100 in Boston

Joel Embiid had 34 points and 12 rebounds in Game 7, Tyrese Maxey added 30 and rookie VJ Edgecombe scored 23. Paul George, then a 76er, scored 13. Brown led Boston with 33 points and nine rebounds in his last game as a Celtic.

It was the 14th comeback from 3-1 down in NBA history and the first in 76ers history, and Philadelphia’s first playoff series win over Boston since 1982.

George signed a four-year, $212 million contract with the 76ers in 2024. Before that he had averaged more than 20 points for nine straight seasons with Indiana, Oklahoma City and the Clippers.

Philadelphia never got that player. Knee and adductor injuries limited him to 41 games in his first season. He had knee surgery in July 2025, missed the first 12 games of 2025-26 and was suspended 25 games in late January for violating the league’s anti-drug program.

Paul George, points per game

Boston had included Brown in trade talks when Giannis Antetokounmpo was on the market. In the first days of July, the Celtics agreed to send the 29-year-old to Philadelphia for the 36-year-old George and four draft picks.

It was the first blockbuster under new 76ers president Mike Gansey, who replaced the fired Daryl Morey. The trade became official on July 6, the first day deals could be completed.

1. To PhiladelphiaJaylen Brown
2. To BostonPaul George
3. 2028 first roundThe Clippers’ pick, which turns into a swap right if it lands in the top 16
4. 2031 first roundPhiladelphia’s own, unprotected
5. 2028 second roundThe best of Golden State, Milwaukee and Oklahoma City
6. 2030 second roundThe best of Phoenix, Portland and Washington

Brown joined Embiid, Maxey and Edgecombe, and later LeBron James, as Philadelphia chases its first title since 1983. Boston got a veteran wing to play next to a returning Tatum, plus picks it can keep or trade.

Both players made their debuts on Oct. 20, opening night. George scored 38 points in Detroit, the most in a debut in Celtics history. The old record was Kristaps Porziņģis’ 30 in October 2023.

He went 12-for-21, made 7 of 12 threes and had five steals in about 31 minutes. Boston led by 22, but the Pistons answered with a 23-0 run in the fourth quarter and won 121-113.

In New York, Brown had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists as Philadelphia won 106-100 at Madison Square Garden on the Knicks’ ring night. He was plus-17. His back-to-back threes, the second at the buzzer, capped an 11-0 run that closed the third quarter.

Opening night

The teams already met twice in the preseason, on Oct. 10 in Boston and Oct. 16 in Philadelphia. The four regular-season meetings start in November, and Brown’s first game back at TD Garden that counts is in January.

1. Nov. 10Celtics at 76ers, Boston’s 11th game of the season
2. Jan. 2176ers at Celtics, Brown’s regular-season return to TD Garden
3. Feb. 7Celtics at 76ers
4. March 776ers at Celtics