Celtics’ Fatal Flaw Sinks Them Again In Game 2 Vs. 76ers originally appeared on NESN.
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Over the last few years, the Boston Celtics have lived and died by the 3-pointer, especially in the playoffs.
More often than not, it works. The Celtics had the fourth-best record in basketball this season, and their success from beyond the arc was a big reason why. They ranked third in 3-pointers made, fourth in 3-pointers attempted and eighth in 3-point percentage.
The issue is that when the threes aren’t falling, Boston has no idea how to win.
That’s what happened during Game 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. The Celtics went up 13 points in the first quarter and should have rolled to an easy victory. Instead, they went cold from three and ended up losing by 14.
Regular season and playoffs, that was just the 12th time in the last 161 games the Celtics have failed to shoot better than 26% from 3.
They’ve lost all 12.
Three in the playoffs, Games 1 and 2 to the Knicks in last year’s East Semis, and tonight’s Game 2 vs. the Sixers.
— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) April 22, 2026
Boston launched 50 3-pointers and bricked 37 of them, shooting a miserable 26 percent from downtown. By comparison, the 76ers took 39 threes and were much more efficient, sinking 19 of them.
Once the Celtics fell behind, they started chucking more threes in an effort to close the gap. But the more they missed, the bigger the deficit got.
It’s tough to win when you shoot poorly from three and the other team shoots well, but Boston has repeatedly shown an inability to adjust when it happens. Every team has off shooting nights, but the Celtics tend to double down rather than attacking the basket and looking for easier shots.
In its last 12 games where Boston shot 26 percent or worse from three, Joe Mazzulla’s team is 0-12, including 0-3 in the playoffs. It cost them their series against the New York Knicks last year, so hopefully the Celtics can learn from this one and make some necessary adjustments going forward.
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