Celtics' Playoff Kryptonite Bites Them Again In Game 2 Vs. 76ers originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Coming into their first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, most of the trends and history strongly favored the Boston Celtics.
One that didn't, however, was their recent postseason performance in Game 2s.
The Celtics were unable to buck that trend on Tuesday, suffering a 111-97 loss to the 76ers at TD Garden.
Boston is now 3-5 over its last eight Game 2s, all at home, dating back to the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. By comparison, the Celtics are 23-8 in all other playoff games during that time.
Game 2 letdowns have become a concerning trend under Joe Mazzulla, although not necessarily a fatal one. Still, Tuesday's outcome was both shocking and disappointing for several reasons.
Since 2024, the Celtics are 3-4 in Game 2s (all at home).They are 20-5 in all other playoff games.Petition to just cancel every Game 2 going forward?
For starters, Boston was heavily favored coming off its historic Game 1 victory. After destroying Philadelphia by 32 points in the series opener, the Celtics were 14.5-point favorites in Game 2 with Joel Embiid still sidelined for the Sixers. Instead, they were the ones who lost by 14 points, suffering their biggest defeat since March 4.
Boston got off to a fast start in Game 2, racing ahead by 13 points in the first quarter. The Celtics couldn't keep it up, however, getting outscored by 27 points the rest of the way.
Boston beat itself in several ways, getting burned in drop coverage on defense and settling for too many 3-pointers on offense. The Celtics launched 50 threes and missed 37 of them, whereas Philadelphia shot a sizzling 48.7 percent from downtown.
Now, the series is tied heading to Philly. Mazzulla will have to make some adjustments in Game 3 and modify his game plan if he wants Boston to have a better outcome on Friday night.
More NBA: What Went Wrong: 3 Takeaways After Celtics’ 111-97 Loss To 76ers In Game 2