The Philadelphia 76ers finally broke their longstanding playoff curse against the Boston Celtics, and some superstitious fans believe they know why.
The Celtics entered Game 7 of their first-round series against the Sixers with history on their side. Boston had won three straight playoff series over Philly in the Joel Embiid era and was 6-0 in series against them dating back to 1985.
That run of Philadelphia misfortune ended on Saturday when Embiid and Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers to a resounding 109-100 win in front of a hostile crowd at TD Garden in Boston, Mass.
Embiid played like a true former MVP, posting 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists in the do-or-die game less than a month after having an emergency appendectomy.
Fans floated a theory that Embiid was never cursed—his appendix was. The idea gained a ton of traction once Embiid finally vanquished the Celtics in the playoffs.
What if Embiids appendix was what was actually cursed…
— rob (@avoidphillly) May 1, 2026
And it's gone now…
Joel Embiids appendix was 100% cursed
— . (@KoDean17) May 3, 2026
Clearly Embiid’s appendix had always been holding this team back. #Sixers
— Jay Woods (@JayWoods3) May 3, 2026
After all these years, maybe Joel Embiid just needed his appendix out.
— Jake Mattera (@JakeMattera) May 3, 2026
It’s hard to argue with the idea that Embiid’s appendix was responsible for all of the 76ers’ misfortunes over the years. After all, the team has yet to lose a playoff series with an appendix-less Embiid.
Perhaps the 76ers could have salvaged the careers of Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz had Embiid removed his appendix sooner. But at this point, there’s no use crying over un-removed organs.
