Khari A. Thompson The Celtics and 76ers have met in the playoffs more than any other pair of teams in NBA history, but the last time Philadelphia beat Boston in a series was 44 years ago in the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals. Boston eliminated Philadelphia twice during Paul Pierce's career. They knocked the 76ers out in the first round of the 2002 playoffs in five games, and they won again in the 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals which went to seven games.