Celtics Shockingly On Verge Of Another Epic Postseason Collapse

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Coming off their massive Game 4 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, the vibes around the Boston Celticscouldn't have been higher. All they had to do was finish off the 76ers at home in Game 5 on Tuesday, then wait to play the winner of the New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks series.

After going up 13 points in the third quarter of Game 5, the Celtics were on the brink of advancing. As they so often do, however, they failed to put their opponent away after taking a big lead.

To Philadelphia's credit, they didn't quit. They fought back in Game 5 to make it a one-point game entering the fourth quarter as Joel Embiid came alive.

Then Boston choked, getting impossibly cold in the fourth quarter. The Celtics missed 16 straight field goals to end the game and lost, forcing them to go back to Philly for Game 6.

Boston lost that one, too, and potentially Jayson Tatum in the process. Tatum's leg stiffened up on him in the third quarter, forcing him to leave the game and putting his status for Game 7 in jeopardy.

While Tatum is optimistic that he will play, the Celtics shouldn't have had to play Game 6 in the first place, much less Game 7.

Even if he does play, the Sixers have all the momentum now. They're coming off back-to-back wins and have won the last two games in Boston, so they're clearly not afraid of TD Garden.

If the Celtics do lose, it will be yet another devastating playoff collapse for them. They coughed up a 2-1 series lead in the 2022 NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors, lost Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat at home, and blew back-to-back 20-point leads at home against the New York Knicks in the 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

If Boston loses in the first round, it would be a massive embarrassment for a team that entered the playoffs favored to win this series and the East. It would also be their earliest postseason exit since 2021.

If that happens, it will be fair to wonder if Joe Mazzulla's strategy and the team's style of play simply aren't cut out for the playoffs.

More NBA: Celtics' Cinderella Season Suddenly On The Brink After Devastating Game 6 Loss Vs. 76ers

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