Dave Portnoy Explains Why He Was Wrong About Celtics' Title Chances

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Last Monday, with the Boston Celtics holding a 3-1 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ers, Dave Portnoy predicted the Celtics to win the Eastern Conference and reach the NBA Finals.

"They're healthy. They look good," Portnoy said at the time. "I think the West obviously poses a far more serious challenge. I'd be surprised not to see the Celtics in the Finals... This is a championship team. This is a team that has won a title."

One week later, Boston is shockingly out of the playoffs after losing three straight games to the 76ers, completing its historic collapse with a crushing Game 7 defeat at home on Saturday.

On Monday's episode of "Wake Up Barstool," Portnoy admitted he was wrong about the Celtics and explained why.

I did think the Celtics would go to The Finals. But after seeing them against the Sixers it was clear even if they won, this team was never going anywhere pic.twitter.com/XD38HCAxxJ

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) May 4, 2026

"Watching the series, this Celtics team was very similar to last year's team that lost to the Knicks, and it was evident that they weren't gonna make a deep run into the playoffs," Portnoy said. "I didn't think, even if they got by the Sixers, that they were gonna win the East. I thought the Knicks were probably gonna beat 'em in the next round."

Portnoy said Boston's flaws became apparent to him as the series progressed and the team fell into a massive shooting slump.

"They weren't shooting well. They live and die by the three. It looked identical to last year," Portnoy added. "Everything was easier for the 76ers. The 76ers were the better team on the court to me... Watching this team, this was not a championship team."

Philadelphia proved that in the end by winning three straight games to close out the series, including two on the road in Boston. The Celtics had plenty of chances to close out the Sixers, especially in Game 5 at home, but they just couldn't do it.

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