
The Boston Celtics blew a 3-1 playoff series lead against the Philadelphia 76ers, losing three consecutive games and exiting the postseason. This historic collapse has drawn significant scrutiny and criticism.
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown and center Neemias Queta
Why Celtics' Historic Playoff Collapse Vs. 76ers Looks Even Worse Now originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After taking a 3-1 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs, the Boston Celtics appeared headed for a rematch with the New York Knicks in the second round.
Instead, the Celtics fumbled the series away, losing three straight games to a seven seed and crashing out of the postseason in historic fashion.
And if that wasn't bad enough, theĀ 76ers were clearly overmatched against the Knicks, getting swept in four games.
New York did what Boston failed to do, destroying Philadelphia in four straight games. Only one of those games was even close, while the other three were double-digit blowouts.
The Knicks had no problem with the Sixers' defense, which limited the Celtics toĀ 100 points or fewer in all four of Boston's losses. New York scored at leastĀ 108 points in all four wins over Philly, averagingĀ 124.3 points per game.
The Celtics lost their playoff series due to a combination of poor performance and losing three straight games after initially leading the series 3-1.
The Celtics' collapse is considered historic as it marks one of the few instances where a team lost a series after leading 3-1, highlighting the severity of the defeat.
The loss raises questions about the team's roster and coaching decisions, potentially leading to significant changes in the offseason.


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In the end, the Knicks proved they were a better and more serious basketball team than the Celtics. They also made it clear that they likely would've beaten Boston again had the Celtics advanced.
Boston was favored to win the Eastern Conference when the playoffs started. Now New York is, and it's easy to see why.