Celtics' Fatal Flaw Sinks Them Again In Game 2 Vs. 76ers

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown

Celtics' Fatal Flaw Sinks Them Again In Game 2 Vs. 76ers originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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.

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.