NBA Legend Pays Celtics Ultimate Compliment After Historic Game 4 Rout Vs. 76ers originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Magic Johnson was one of the Boston Celtics' biggest rivals during the 1980s, but now he sounds like one of their biggest fans.
Johnson had some lofty praise for the Celtics after their impressive 128-96 road win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 on Sunday, sharing the following message on X:
"I just witnessed the best all around team performance in the NBA Playoffs so far by the Boston Celtics in their victory over the Philadelphia 76ers 128-96! Their defense was amazing and offensively they made a total of 24 3’s! The Celtics big three were fantastic - Tatum had 30 points, Brown had 20 points and Pritchard was the man that had the crowd going crazy with his dynamic 32 points off the bench! Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla has his team playing their best basketball at the right time!"
I just witnessed the best all around team performance in the NBA Playoffs so far by the Boston Celtics in their victory over the Philadelphia 76ers 128-96! Their defense was amazing and offensively they made a total of 24 3’s! The Celtics big three were fantastic - Tatum had 30…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 27, 2026
There doesn't seem to be any lingering bad blood between Johnson and Boston after their three NBA Finals clashes during the 1980s. Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers won two of them against Larry Bird's powerhouse Celtics.
The rivalry has softened a bit over the last 40 years. Besides, Johnson still knows and appreciates great basketball when he sees it.
His praise of Boston was warranted, as the Celtics set a franchise playoff record with 24 3-pointers. They dominated the game from beginning to end, taking a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never looking back.
After doing everything well in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead, Boston will try to finish off the Sixers at home in Game 5 on Tuesday.
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