Andrew Toney led the Sixers in their last Game 7 vs. the Celtics in 1982. (Getty Images)

On Sunday, May 23, 1982, the Philadelphia 76ers entered the Boston Garden to face the Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Sixers would go on to win 120-106 to advance to the Finals, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

But advancing past the Celtics, during Boston's Big 3 era of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish was a huge step forward forward for the franchise. That season set up their 1983 NBA Championship behind MVP Moses Malone, acquired in trade the summer after that Finals loss in '82.

Thirty years later, on Saturday, May 26, 2012, the Philadelphia 76ers enter TD Northbank Garden to face the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Sixers face what is likely the last year of the modern Big 3 era in Boston of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, though Rajon Rondo has become a bigger part of the Celtics' success than any of those players.

The timing and the fact they're both Game 7's are pretty much the only similarities between the two games. That's where it ends.

Andrew Toney ain't walkin' through that door. Dr. J isn't walking through that door. And Moses Malone sure as heckfire isn't walking through that door.

The two teams in '82 combined for 226 points. The over/under for both teams going into Saturday's Game 7? 170, according to one book.

That was a horserace. This is going to be a slugfest. Last man standing wins.

I'm not one to beat the dead horse about the greatness of yesteryear vs. today's athletes, not coming off a series where the MVP dropped 40-18-9-2-2 and his partner in crime shot 40 of 65 over the final three games. The modern NBA is as stacked as ever with superstar players, and the relative gap in quality in terms of "greatness" can most clearly be attributed by the fact that legend grows with the passing of time. Our perceptions of these players aren't in sync with reality, because that's how the human mind works. It's how oral histories and folktales began.

But the Sixers' biggest problem does have to do with the superstar issue. It's Game 7, and anything can happen. But in games with this much pressure, this much intensity, you need a player to step up and deliver a big game. In 1982, it was Andrew Toney.





He had 34 points on 23 shots, 3 rebounds and 6 assists as Toney and Dr. J led the Sixers past Boston, with four players (Toney, Erving, Jones, and Mo Cheeks) contributing 99 of Philadelphia's 120 points. Toney was given the nickname "the Boston Strangler" (HT: NBA.com) for his performance in that series. 

The Sixers on Saturday will likely not score 99 points total.

Don't get me wrong, it's a testament to the defense on both sides. But this game is lacking the kinds of players who can take over a game. Boston has the capability, if Paul Pierce is feeling spry or if Kevin Garnett can wind back those clock hands one more time. But Philadelphia?

The Sixers' high scorer in this series is 22 from Thaddeus Young. That pretty much tells you all you need to know.

The Sixers don't have a guy who can just take over the game offensively. But is that because they don't have the talent, or because they don't have anyone who uses that many possessions? In that Game 7 back in the day, Toney took 23 shots, Erving 21. Evan Turner is the only player to attempt more than 20 shots, scoring just 16 in Game 4 (though he did set the tone or the game by constantly driving and getting the Celtics in foul trouble). Volume shooters are heavily criticized in today's game. You can mess up your team's flow and ruin its chances offensively by gunning.

The Sixers need a volume scorer. Badly.

Andre Iguodala has taken, in this series: 16, 11, 6, 12, 10, and 11 shots through six games. Lou Williams, who has never met a shot he didn't like, has taken 11, 13, 10, 11, 10 and 13 shots. Part of this is the grind it out pace of the series. Part of it is Philadelphia's team-oriented approach. Part of it is Boston's defense, as the Celtics funnel shots away from where the Sixers want them. And if the Sixers want to win, they have to have a guy step up and say, "I'm going to score 30 tonight if it kills me."

They need the opposite of what the Los Angeles Lakers needed. They don't need balance. They need reckless disregard for Boston's famous defense, an athlete to simply step up and score points.

In '82, the Sixers made the finals behind individual performances. The Sixers have not gotten credit for how well they've played in this series. Two blowout third quarters on the road in Boston don't give an indication of how they've fought the Celtics on every front.

It's true the Sixers don't have a player like Toney or Erving. But this Boston team is not some unshakeable force, either. In 2009, it was widely assumed that the inexperienced Magic would collapse in a Game 7 in Boston. Instead, Dwight Howard scored 40 and the Magic advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since Shaq was roaming the paint.

Have a player step up and the Sixers can advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. It's easy to say they will get wiped away by the Heat, but with Chris Bosh's injury and the inconsistency we've seen from them, anything could happen. But they have to make themselves some luck. Even an appearance in the ECF, no matter how screwy the route (with Derrick Rose's injury and the Celtics' battling age) would signal progress and a chance for the Sixers to take the next step with a trade.

Then all the Sixers need is to find themselves a Moses Malone in the offseason.

Good luck with that.

Game 7 is Saturday.