How the Philadelphia 76ers rebuilt their resolve — and it’s about

A HEAVY DOSE of déjà vu had hit the City of Brotherly Love.

The Philadelphia 76ers, having already blown a 16-point lead at home to the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, watched as Malcolm Brogdon’s 3-pointer extended the Celtics’ edge to five points with 2:04 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Trailing 2-1 in the best-of-seven showdown, the 76ers looked destined for another heartbreaking loss in a recent playoff history littered with them.

But James Harden, who had rediscovered his Game 1 form, kept scoring. P.J. Tucker willed in an and-1 off an offensive rebound with just over one minute remaining in the fourth. The 76ers fought back from the 105-100 deficit, forcing overtime, where Harden’s corner 3 with 19 seconds remaining secured Philadelphia’s win and tied the series at 2-2.

“We’ve just got veteran presence,” 76ers center and 2023 Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid told ESPN. “Guys that know how to win, that know how to play.

“A lot of teams could have quit. But we just stuck together. We just got a different mindset this year.”

Embiid would know. Past Sixers teams weren’t defined by their ability to fight through adversity. In 2021, three late-game meltdowns — most notably Ben Simmons passing up an open dunk in the closing moments of Game 7 — cost Philly its East semifinal series against the Atlanta Hawks. Last season, the Sixers were suffocated by the Miami Heat defense in Games 5 and 6 after winning two straight to tie that East semifinal series.

Now, as Philadelphia faces rival Boston in Game 5 on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT), the Sixers head into the biggest game of their season believing this time will be different.

“Just our overall mental toughness has grown,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers told ESPN ahead of the series against Boston. “We have grown up.

“Last year, when we went bad, if Joel didn’t play well or James didn’t play well, we were done. That’s not true…