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ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg drops by on Friday at 1:30 p.m. to tackle your Celtics questions in advance of Saturday's Game 7 showdown against the Philadelphia 76ers.

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On Saturday, the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics will meet in a Game 7 for the sixth time in what was once one of the greatest rivalries in sports. It's the first 76ers-Celtics Game 7 in 30 years. The Celtics won 3 of the previous 5 Game 7s since the 76ers franchise moved to Philadelphia in 1963.

Here's a look back at all of them:

1965 Eastern Division finals: Celtics 110, 76ers 109

After acquiring Wilt Chamberlain from the Warriors during the season, the Sixers met the Celtics with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. With 5 seconds left and the Celtics leading by a point, the Sixers had a chance to win, but John Havlicek stole Hal Greer's inbound pass and the Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals and defeated the Lakers in 5 games for their seventh straight title.

1968 Eastern Division finals: Celtics 100, 76ers 96

The Celtics became the first team in NBA history to rally from a 3-1 series deficit to win, as they knocked off the defending champion Sixers in 7 games to advance to the NBA Finals. Sam Jones led Boston with 22 points. The Celtics went on to win their 10th title in 12 years by defeating the Lakers in 6 games.

1977 Eastern Conference semifinals: 76ers 83, Celtics 77

After acquiring Julius Erving before the season, the Sixers hosted the Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Sixers took control of a low-scoring affair in the second half, as World B. Free came off the bench to score 27 points. The Sixers reached the NBA Finals but lost to the Trail Blazers in 6 games.

1981 Eastern Conference finals: Celtics 91, 76ers 90

ESPN.com's John Hollinger ranked this series as the best playoff series in NBA history. Five of the 7 games were decided by 1 or 2 points. Just like they did in 1968, the Celtics rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate the Sixers. Larry Bird hit the game-winning jumper with 1:03 left. Maurice Cheeks had a chance to tie it at the free throw line with 29 seconds left, but he missed 1 of 2 free throw attempts, and the Celtics hung on for the win. The Celtics held off the Rockets in 6 games to win the NBA Championship.

1982 Eastern Conference finals: 76ers 120, Celtics 106

After the Celtics won Games 5 and 6, the Sixers took control in the third quarter to win Game 7 on the road. Andrew Toney (a.k.a. "The Boston Strangler") scored 34 points, Dr. J scored 29 and Maurice Cheeks had 19 points and 11 assists. The Sixers fell to the Lakers in 6 games in the NBA Finals.

Note that the Philadelphia 76ers were previously the Syracuse Nationals, who faced the Boston Celtics in a Game 7 in the 1959 Eastern Division finals (Celtics won). But this will be the sixth meeting between these two teams since the Philadelphia 76ers franchise moved to Philadelphia in 1963. The Philadelphia Warriors also met the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the 1962 Eastern Division finals (Celtics won), but the Philadelphia Warriors were the franchise that eventually became the Golden State Warriors, so that is a different franchise than the 76ers.

The Celtics go as their mercurial point guard Rajon Rondo goes. After Game 6's painful reminder, which Rondo will it be in Game 7?

Source: Avery Bradley must have shoulder surgery  

Boston Celtics second-year shooting guard Avery Bradley is expected to soon undergo season-ending surgery to repair small tears that have compromised the structure of his ailing left shoulder, according to a league source.

Bradley has endured a number of dislocations during the 2011-12 season, including three in the postseason. After the shoulder came out in a Game 4 loss in Philadelphia, doctors made the determination that it's simply too risky to put him back on the court with the potential for a more serious injury, according to the source. The team has not yet ruled him out for the rest of the postseason, but that decision could come soon.

With surgery unavoidable in order to correct the issues, Bradley is expected to go under the knife as soon as the team determines he's able. According to the source, Bradley is looking at a four-month recovery process, but the hope is that he'll be ready in time for the team's October training camp.

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The Boston Celtics will return to the Las Vegas Summer League for the first time since 2007 this offseason, according to a release by the NBA noting that 24 teams will flock to Sin City for this year's festivities.

With two potential first-round draft picks and young players like rookies Greg Stiemsma, JaJuan Johnson, and E'Twaun Moore already on the roster, the Celtics -- for a rare change in the Big Three era -- have some young players that would benefit from summer ball. In recent years, the team has only participated in the Orlando summer league, but Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said recently that the team would consider both leagues depending on the amount of young bodies that could use summer ball.

The Celtics participated in the Vegas summer league from 2004-07. This year's competition will run from July 13-22 and will feature 23 NBA teams and one D-League select squad that will compete on the campus of UNLV.

The 2012 competition will mark the eighth summer that the league has been held in Las Vegas since its inception in 2004. Each of the participating teams will play five games, for a total of 60 contests over the course of the event’s 10 days.

Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo landed on the All-NBA third team for the 2011-12 season.

The first team consisted of Miami's LeBron James, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, Orlando's Dwight Howard, the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul, while the second team featured Minnesota's Kevin Love, the Clippers' Blake Griffin, the Lakers' Andrew Bynum, San Antonio's Tony Parker and Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook.

Rondo shared third-team honors with New York's Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki and Miami's Dwyane Wade.

The All-NBA teams were chosen by a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Panelists voted for All-NBA first, second and third teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.

Rondo earned 142 points, including four first-team votes. Teammates Paul Pierce (31 points) and Kevin Garnett (22) also received votes.

Rondo, named to the All-Defensive second team on Wednesday, is the first Celtics player on the All-NBA teams since Pierce landed on the second team for the 2008-09 season. Kevin Garnett (first team) and Pierce (third team) were also All-NBA during the 2007-08 championship season.

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ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg explains what went wrong for the Celtics in Game 6.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Boston Celtics appear to be bracing for the potential that -- whether they extend their season or not during Saturday's Game 7 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Philadelphia 76ers -- the team might be without the services of shooting guard Avery Bradley for the rest of the postseason.

Both the Boston Herald and Boston Globe, citing sources, reported Thursday that Bradley will definitely need left shoulder surgery, which could come soon and end his season. None of that should come as a surprise. Bradley has endured three dislocations of his left shoulder since the start of the postseason, including two in this series. He sat out Games 5 and 6 and head coach Doc Rivers acknowledged Wednesday that he was uncertain when -- or if -- Bradley would play again.

For his part, Bradley met with reporters during Wednesday's shootaround and offered a pessimistic outlook, saying he wouldn't play in Game 6 and was left simply trying to strengthen the shoulder moving forward.

"It’s definitely frustrating, but all I can do is keep trying to get stronger, keep trying to improve for my team," said Bradley. "That’s what I’m going to do."

Asked about his availability for a potential Game 7, Bradley said simply, "I’m just taking it day-by-day."

After Wednesday's loss, Rivers suggested the team couldn't lament not having Bradley on the floor.

"Listen, it's what we have, you know what I mean?" Rivers said after the Game 6 loss. "Clearly Avery's a great defender, but he's not out there, so I can't worry about it. I really can't. I understand what you're saying -- their penetration, their (isolations) without Avery on the floor -- clearly, they went to a lot of isos and they were picking who they wanted. But that's what I would do. You can't blame them for doing it."

Rivers did keep a sense of humor about the situation.

"(Sixers coach) Doug (Collins) and I are close, (so) I'm going to give him a call and say, 'Listen, none of that.' That would be terrific," Rivers joked of stopping the isolations against susceptible defenders. "Listen, we just have to do a better job of covering for guys who may not be able to keep some of those in front of us. I didn't think we covered for each other very well. Having said that, they scored 82 points, so that's not a lot."

Tip-off for Saturday night's Game 7 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers won't be decided until after Game 6 between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.

If the Heat win on Thursday and close out that series, the Celtics and 76ers will tip at 8 p.m. on ABC. If the Pacers prevail and force a Game 7, Boston and Philadelphia will tip at 5 p.m. on TNT (with Pacers-Heat Game 7 following at 8 p.m.)

And here's a glimpse at the conference finals schedule regardless of who emerges:

Game 1 - May 28 - Philadephia/Boston at Miami/Indiana, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 2 - May 30 - Philadephia/Boston at Miami/Indiana, 8:30 p.m (ESPN)
Game 3 - June 1 - Miami/Indiana at Philadephia/Boston, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 4 - June 3 - Miami/Indiana at Philadephia/Boston, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 5* - June 5 - Philadephia/Boston at Miami/Indiana, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 6* - June 7 - Miami/Indiana at Philadephia/Boston, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 7* - June 9 - Philadephia/Boston at Miami/Indiana, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

(* If necessary)

PHILADELPHIA -- Don't expect the Philadelphia 76ers to be content to have simply forced a Game 7 with the Boston Celtics on Saturday night at TD Garden. Asked after Wednesday's Game 6 triumph if he'd be happy with how much his team has given just to get to that point -- upsetting the top-seeded Bulls in the first round and pushing Boston to a deciding game -- 76ers coach Doug Collins wouldn't settle.

"No, I'm not going to give them that out. No, I want more. I want more," said Collins. "We're going to get greedy, and we want more. We've fought, we've worked, and we've gone through a lot as a team."

Collins heaped praise on his team for battling through its own offensive woes with their backs to the wall in Game 6.

"I think we missed nine straight shots in the second quarter, missed five free throws at the half, and had the turnovers -- but our defense gave us a chance," said Collins. "We're competitors. I love what our guys did. They competed. Every possession was a battle, and this Celtics team is so hard to guard. Our guys really did a good job tonight.

"Our mindset is, I don't want to go into (Game 7) with, 'No matter what happens, everything's OK.' I want to go in with the idea of, 'Let's see what we can do do; Let's see if we can get us a win.'"

To motivate his team before Game 6, Collins dusted off game tape from the 1982 playoffs, where the 76ers won a Game 7 of the conference finals in Boston (this after letting Boston rally from a 3-1 deficit to tie series). That, of course, was the game that featured the infamous, "Beat LA!" chant, with the Garden faithful encouraging the 76ers to top the rival Lakers in the NBA Finals. It's a safe bet that Celtics fans won't be content to chant "Beat Miami" or "Beat Indiana" on Saturday night.

PHILADELPHIA -- A look at ESPN Boston headlines after the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center, including a look at Boston's abysmal offensive performance:

PHILADELPHIA -- The Boston Celtics settled for an alarming amount of jumpers in Wednesday's Game 6 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, but maybe no one's shot chart illustrated it clearer than Kevin Garnett's.

All 20 of Garnett's field-goal attempts in Game 6 were from 10 feet or beyond, with an average distance of 17 feet, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Garnett finished 9-of-20 shooting for 20 points with 11 rebounds over 41:05.

But considering how important Garnett's offense around the basket has been in this series -- and how thoroughly the 76ers dominated points in the paint in this game (42-16) -- the number of jumpers Garnett and his teammates settled for is simply staggering.

In fact, before Wednesday's game, Garnett had 126 contests with the Celtics with 15 or more field-goal attempts. In all of those games, Garnett had at least one shot inside of 10 feet, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

"We missed shots that normally we make," Garnett said. Which is true, but Boston's lack of offense through the post and in the paint is alarming in a game the Celtics shot a mere 33.3 percent (26-of-78 overall).

Said Celtics coach Doc Rivers: "We've got to do a better job, offensively. I thought we had a lot of empty possessions, offensively. We played in random a lot tonight. [We] really never established Kevin [Garnett]; even though Kevin had points, it wasn't the type of points that we needed. So, we have to do a better job there."

Sixers center Elton Brand admitted the hosts tried to take away Garnett's easy buckets.

"He's been playing so great this series, we were just trying to limit his easy shots," Brand said. "Twenty field-goal attempts, 20 points -- shot-per-point for any guy that shoots a lot during the game, that's what you want. We tried to contest his jumpers, but he started knocking them down late. The easy ones, the post-ups, the putbacks, the dunks -- him and Brandon Bass -- we wanted to take that out of the game, and we felt that we really gave ourselves a shot to win if we did that."

Garnett was 3-of-10 shooting in the first half before getting hot after the intermission. He made four of six shots in the fourth quarter while scoring eight points, but it wasn't enough as Boston did little to generate easy looks around the basket -- all while the Sixers attacked the basket for layups.

Statistical support for this story from NBA.com

PHILADELPHIA -- Rapid reaction after the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 82-75 in Game 6 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center. The series is tied at three games apiece:

HOW THE GAME WAS WON
Jrue Holiday scored a team-high 20 points to pace five 76ers in double figures, while Elton Brand added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Paul Pierce scored a game-high 24 points on 5-of-11 shooting with 10 rebounds, while Kevin Garnett kicked in 20 points on 9-of-20 shooting. Alas, the Celtics shot a mere 33.3 percent (26-of-78) from the field overall, and endured too many lulls to give themselves a true chance to steal the game and finish off this series.

TURNING POINT
Despite shooting a mere 31.7 percent (19-of-60) through three quarters, the Celtics were within four at the start of the fourth quarter. It felt like if they could turn it on for 12 minutes, they might actually have a chance to steal this thing. It never really happened. Holiday sparked a little 7-0 burst with a turnaround jumper and a driving layup. A Lou Williams runner with 7:15 to go had the 76ers out front 70-59. Considering Boston's offensive woes, that 11-point hole seemed like a 33-point deficit on this night.

BOLD PLAY OF THE GAME
Andre Iguodala split three members of Boston's big four, sliding between freshly minted NBA all-defense second-teamers Garnett and Rajon Rondo while Ray Allen scrambled over late with help, before throwing down a vicious one-handed jam over Pierce. Add in the and-1 free throw, and the Sixers were out front 46-41 with 6:50 to play in the third quarter. Iguodala's old-fashioned three-point play capped an 11-0 burst after Boston had led by as much as eight early in the second half.

LET'S NEVER TALK OF THE FIRST HALF AGAIN ... EVER
The Celtics and 76ers combined to connect on a mere 27 of 76 shots (35.5 percent) in a first half that featured more droughts than the Atacama Desert. The Celtics shot 13-of-41 (31.7 percent), and the 76ers weren't much better at 14-of-35 (40 percent). The teams combined for a mere 12 second-quarter field goals (30 percent shooting) and 28 total points. After an almost 5-minute stretch without a bucket, Garnett hit a late jumper and Mickael Pietrus added a 3-pointer -- accounting for two of Rondo's three assists in the first half -- and Boston actually led 36-33 at the intermission. The first half also featured 16 turnovers, nine by Philadelphia. Just a complete eyesore.

THEY STOLE HIS MOVE
Poor Keyon Dooling. Not only did "The Reverend" eat some leather when Thaddeus Young saved a ball by throwing it off Dooling's face late in the first quarter, but the Philadelphia fans started Flexin' -- Dooling's signature sideline dance move -- to celebrate the moment. On this night, the Celtics rarely had reason to flex.

SIXERS BRING BACK 'THE ANSWER'
Looking for a Game 6 spark with their backs against the wall, the Sixers brought back Allen Iverson to deliver the game ball before tipoff. Dressed in a No. 23 76ers jersey, Iverson handed the ball to referee Joey Crawford, dapped up the entire Sixers roster, then departed to a strong ovation. It didn't seem to help his old team out of the gates, but a little video-board montage got the crowd roaring in the second half, and Iverson waved in appreciation from a luxury box.

CELEBRITIES!
Iverson might have been the biggest name in the building, but the 76ers also trotted out the U.S. women's soccer team, actor Kevin Hart, rapper Meek Mill and Eagles running back LeSean McCoy. Boston's Ayla Brown not only handled her normal anthem duties, but sang a few songs as the halftime act.

WHAT IT MEANS
Don't tell me you didn't see this coming. The Celtics continued their Big Three era pattern of acting allergic to first-try closeouts. Heck, the team is now 10-13 in closeout opportunities overall. Fortunately for the C's, they often take care of business at home and will get a second chance to end things with Saturday's Game 7 in the friendly confines of TD Garden. Boston will look back and kick itself, as the Sixers tried their damndest to let Boston end this series -- turning the ball over nine times in the first half (for 10 points) and missing 11 free throws overall. The Celtics never got into a rhythm offensively, and when jumpers wouldn't fall (particularly for Brandon Bass, who was 2-of-12), they couldn't play catch-up, as the 76ers got easy points near the rim. The Celtics get two much-needed days to rest weary legs (KG played 41 minutes) before a decisive Game 7.

PHILADELPHIA -- Boston Celtics shooting guard Avery Bradley (shoulder) is out for Game 6 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Ray Allen is back in the starting lineup in his place.

Bradley, who has dislocated his left shoulder on three occasions this postseason, including twice in this series, sat out Game 5 and will miss Game 6 as he's experienced little progress in recovery. Rivers is uncertain of Bradley's status moving forward, noting it's a, "tough injury."

Added Rivers: "We keep saying day-to-day, but we really don't know."

Allen isn't exactly the picture of health as he's battling bone spurs in his right ankle. But after sitting out the first two games of the postseason, he has been able to play through the pain ever since. Rivers acknowledges that neither shooting guard is likely to get better until after the season (when surgery seems likely for both).

A couple other notes from pregame:

* Asked about his team's mood, Rivers playfully noted, "I don’t ever know. I tell you, I’m the worst. I swear to gosh, I wish I could predict. I get more guys (saying), 'What do you think?’ Hell if I know. If I knew we were going to win, I’d just shut up and not say a word. But I don’t know, so we’ll see."

* Rivers said part of the reason his team has been so successful despite the ups and downs is that it came in prepared to scrap. "I think they fully understood that every series was going to be a grind, nasty series, and I think it does help us understanding that, instead of being surprised by that," said Rivers. "I think that's been the one good thing. Going into the Atlanta series, we talked about it -- we understand who we are and we don’t have a big margin of error."

An afternoon dose of closeout data with a tip of the cap to the folks at Elias Sports Bureau:

* A lopsided Game 5 victory could aid the Celtics' cause. Boston is the 47th team to win Game 5 of a best-of-seven series that was tied 2-2 by 15+ points. Of the previous 46 teams to do that, 44 went on to win the series (95.7 percent). The only two teams to lose a series in that situation were the Suns against the Warriors in 1976 and the Spurs against the Hornets in 2008.

* The 76ers have lost each of the last 13 best-of-seven series they have played in which they have trailed 3-2. That is the longest such streak in NBA history. The last (and only) time the Sixers came back from a 3-2 deficit to win a series was in the 1955 Finals when the then Syracuse Nationals won the final two games to defeat the Fort Wayne Pistons in seven games.

* Doc Rivers is only 2-12 (.143) in games in which his team has had a chance to clinch a playoff series on the road in his career as a head coach. That is tied with Jack Ramsay (1-6) for the lowest career winning percentage in potential series-clinching road games among all head coaches who appeared in at least five such games.

* The Celtics are 76-59 in potential playoff series clinching games in their franchise history, but are only 10-12 overall and 2-10 on the road in closeout games in the Big Three era.