THE Boston Celtics fought back from a 22 points down to beat the Philadelphia 76ers in front of a host of stellar names.
Sir Alex Ferguson lead a glittering cast of athletes, pop stars and actors to see the Celtics beat the Sixers 114-103 at the O2 Arena.
In what was easily the best NBA game these shores have seen, Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown led the men in green to a searing second half comeback.
The Celtics, the best team in the Eastern Conference this season, still seemed to be suffering from a spot of jet lag in the opening half.
Their famously stingy defence could not get close to the Sixers and especially shooting guard JJ Redick – who scored 18 first half points.
Eventually the Celtics woke up and proved why they are considered title contenders this season.
By half-time the lead was cut to just nine, Brown’s long arms and athleticism finally starting to bother Redick.
The slick handles of Kyrie drew the admiration of the crowd – with an animated Sir Alex clearly enjoying what he was seeing on the floor.
By the third quarter , the Celtics were in complete control and the Sixers could not buy a bucket.
At the other end there were key contributions from Jayson Tatum and Al Horford, who both scored in double figures, while Marcus Morris chipped in with a crucial 19 points from the bench.
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Philadelphia’s fledgling stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons showed flashes of what will be a dazzingly bright future – but the young guns just couldn’t keep up with such a complete team as the Celtics.
Unlike in previous years this was a game that really mattered, a scuffle between Morris and Simmons after a hard fould proved as much.
That was the last bit of drama on the night.
Irving finished with 20 points and Brown 21 as the Celtics returned to the US with their status of kings of the East still in tact.
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