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Bill Simmons and Boston Celtics radio announcer Sean Grande preview Game 7 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.

Hop HERE to listen to the podcast.

Who will be the Game 7 hero if Boston is to prevail over the Philadelphia 76ers?

ESPN Stats and Info provides the numbers of note as the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers prepare for Game 7 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series Saturday night at TD Garden:

* Home teams are 87-22 (79.8 percent) all-time in Game 7.

* The Celtics are 17-4 all-time at home in Game 7, but lost their last such game in 2009 versus Orlando. Boston has never lost consecutive Game 7s at home.

* This is the seventh all-time Game 7 between these franchises (Boston leads, 4-2).

* The Celtics are 20-7 all-time in Game 7, the best in NBA history among teams with at least eight Game 7 appearances. The 76ers franchise is 6-8 in Game 7, the eight losses are tied for the most in NBA history.

* The 76ers are 1-7 all-time on the road in Game 7s. This is their first road Game 7 since 1986.

* This is the third Game 7 of the 2012 postseason (Lakers beat Nuggets; Clippers beat Grizzlies).

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ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg dropped by on Friday afternoon to tackle your Celtics questions in advance of Saturday's Game 7 showdown against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Hop HERE to read the transcript.

WALTHAM, Mass. -- News and notes following the Celtics' pre-practice access in Waltham on Friday.

Game 7 chatter: With Saturday's do-or-die Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers just a day away, much of Friday's pre-practice access centered on the Celtics' preparation and expectations.

"I think I know [how the Celtics will play Saturday]," Rivers said. "But you're always curious as well. I think no coach ever knows exactly. I do expect us to come out and play with -- we have to get up and down the floor more, offensively. I think we have to be better defensively as well, and we have to play with a free spirit."

"I want our guys thinking, 'Alright, we're playing. We play [Saturday] night, we play at home, and we have to win the game.' Forget all the other stuff. The other stuff can't play against you. You've got to go play against Philly. I'm very confident in this group. This is as good of a group as I've coached, as far as they just have a way of getting ready, and let's hope that just continues to go."

Rajon Rondo pointed out a handful of areas the Celtics can improve in on Saturday, compared to their performance throughout Wednesday's Game 6.

"Ball movement. The ball stuck in Game 6," Rondo said. "Everyone tried to make the home run plays. We've just got to continue to try to make sacrifices for each other and continue to make plays for each other."

"I'll feel different tomorrow at tipoff, but right now, I'm just focusing on, I guess, another game," Rondo continued. "But we don't want it to be our last."

Avery Bradley to undergo surgery; Dooling out sick: Celtics coach Doc Rivers announced that second-year shooting guard Avery Bradley will undergo season-ending surgery on Friday to repair small tears in his left shoulder.

"It's disappointing," Rivers said of losing Bradley. "Obviously when a player goes down that's disappointing, especially on what Avery has given us this year. His growth this year has been terrific, and it's been great, and he's become a very valuable piece to our basketball team."

One player that would step in to help fill the void left by Bradley is Keyon Dooling, but Rivers said Dooling will miss Friday's practice due to illness, leaving his status for Saturday's Game 7 up in the air.

"Keyon is not here, he's sick," Rivers said. "We're just going to see how he feels. Obviously with Avery being out Keyon plays a big role, so we need him to get healthy soon."

In other injury news, Rivers noted that Greg Stiemsma's ailing feet are finally feeling better.

"Greg's feeling better, which is good," Rivers said.

Rivers presented with Rudy Tomjanovich Award: Celtics coach Doc Rivers was named the recipient of the Rudy Tomjanovich Award on May 14 by the Professional Basketball Writers Association for outstanding cooperation with the media, and the trophy was presented to him prior to Friday's practice by Hall-of-Fame writer Jackie MacMullan.

"When coaches and players and media get together, sometimes good, sometimes bad, I do try to respect your guys' job just like I always ask that you respect my job," Rivers said after being presented with the award. "It's been pretty good, and I really appreciate that. I know I'm a pain to deal with at times -- I am -- I have stupid rules, but that's what they are. But I really appreciate your support and everybody's support."

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Celtics second-year shooting guard Avery Bradley will undergo surgery Friday to repair small tears in his left shoulder and miss the remainder of the postseason.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said the surgery will be performed by team doctor Brian McKeon.

"Avery Bradley is having surgery today, so he's out for the playoffs," Rivers announced at the beginning of his pre-practice news conference on Friday at the team's practice facility at HealthPoint.

"It's disappointing," Rivers said of losing Bradley. "Obviously when a player goes down that's disappointing, especially on what Avery has given us this year. His growth this year has been terrific, and it's been great, and he's become a very valuable piece to our basketball team."

A league source told ESPNBoston.com on Thursday that Bradley is looking at a four-month rehab and the team hopes he will be able to participate in training camp.

Rivers acknowledged the weight of losing Bradley, particularly on the defensive end.

"Avery's a big blow, yeah, there's no doubt," said Rivers. "If I'm the other guys on any other team, and the fact that I don't have to play against Avery Bradley, I would sleep a little better. No one wants to play against Avery. Our guys don't want to play against him in practice. He's a pain in the [butt] defensively. That's what he does."

Editor’s note: Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Celtics and Pistons (May 26, 1987), remembered forever in Boston for Larry Bird’s last-second steal (video above) and Johnny Most’s legendary call: “Now there’s a steal by Bird, underneath to DJ, lays it in!”. Reporter Peter May was at that game and shares his memories below. And for the other side, check out this Pistons fan’s take of what was a heart-wrenching moment.

The one lasting memory I have of the game is that it was over for the Celtics. They were finished, both in the series with the Detroit Pistons and as a viable championship contender in the years ahead. One play by Dennis Rodman drove home that feeling: a coming-from-nowhere block of a Larry Bird drive, with the Celtics losing the ball out of bounds.

There were only a few seconds left. The Celtics trailed by one. They were about to go down 3-2 to the Pistons with Game 6 back in Detroit. They had lost the previous two games there by margins of 18 and 25 points. So it was over. All the Pistons had to do was make a simple inbounds play, get fouled, make their free throws and go back home with a chance to eliminate the Celtics in six games.

That’s exactly what I was planning to write when Larry Bird stepped in to steal Isiah Thomas’ lazy inbounds pass. Two things come to mind in retrospect: while Bird’s steal was undeniably clutch, just as clutch was Dennis Johnson’s lickety-split decision to break to the basket, where he would receive Bird’s pass and make the game-winning layup past Joe Dumars. That sometimes gets lost in the discussion. It wasn’t a one-man play.

And there also was the sight of Pistons coach Chuck Daly futilely screaming for Thomas to call a timeout before inbounding the ball, a call that, again in retrospect, seems like a no-brainer. What on earth was Isiah thinking?

The Pistons did finally call time, but only after Johnson’s basket. The Celtics somehow escaped to take a 108-107 victory and they now had a chance to eliminate the Pistons in Game 6 instead of the other way around.

One of the lost stories from Game 5 was Robert Parish getting so sick and tired of Bill Laimbeer’s antics that he stopped and pummeled him, right in front of referee Jess Kersey. Parish was not ejected from the game.

But when the Celtics landed in Detroit for Game 6, they discovered that the league had suspended Parish for Game 6, which led to one of the all-time great comments, courtesy of Celtics General Manager Jan Volk. Lamenting the absence of Parish, Volk noted, “the consummate provocateur is still roaming the hardwood.” He was speaking, of course, about the annoying Laimbeer.

The Pistons may have been devastated by the end of Game 5, but they won Game 6 at home to force an epic Game 7, a game they might well have won had not Adrian Dantley and Vinnie Johnson collided and cracked heads.

My initial instinct before the Bird steal was half right. No, the Celtics weren’t done in the series. But as it turned out, they were done as a viable NBA championship contender. They extended a better, healthier Lakers team to six games in the 1987 NBA Finals and then disappeared from the NBA’s Grand Stage for 21 years.

Editor's note: ESPN producer Scott Turken is a lifelong Pistons fan who remembers Larry Bird's legendary steal in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference finals (highlights here) a little differently than folks in Boston.

I still cringe when I hear Johnny Most’s gravelly voice scream, “Now there’s a steal by Bird!” It’s been 25 years, but it still hurts.

Larry Bird’s steal of Isiah Thomas’ inbounds pass in 1987 is the ultimate buzzkill for a Detroit sports fan. I’ve seen it hundreds of times, and it still upsets me.

As a 12-year-old kid in suburban Detroit, literally sitting on the edge of my bed, I thought the Pistons had broken through. In the golden age of the NBA, Larry and Magic’s NBA, a team had to prove it could beat the king. If you couldn’t beat one of the two godfathers of the game, you couldn’t play for the title.

The Pistons had lost to the Celtics in the 1985 playoffs but had a chance to go up 3-2 in the 1987 Eastern Conference finals.

Isiah was already a great player in his own right. The six-time All-Star (and three-time All-NBA first-teamer) was in the prime of his career and had built a reputation for being clutch. In the 1984 playoffs, Zeke poured in a remarkable 16 points in 94 seconds of a game to force overtime against the Knicks.

With 5 seconds left, there he was, the team’s best player, on the most famous floor in the sport, with a chance to steal the game. He saw Bill Laimbeer -- his friend who co-captained the Bad Boys ship -- in the backcourt. One of the great passers in the history of the NBA, a man who had averaged 13.9 assists per game two years prior, threw a soft pass.

Bird not only made the steal, but threw a perfect pass to Dennis Johnson, who finished with the reverse.

Two and a half decades later, I can watch the “underneath to DJ, he lays it in” part. For many years, I couldn’t watch it. But with some perspective and time, that seminal play is not only one of the Zapruder film clips of the NBA, but also meaningful for what it stood for.

Sometimes, no matter what you do, somebody is going to be better than you.

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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.

Hop HERE to read the full story.

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."