A Boston Celtics Blog: 17 Banners and Counting
Tyrese Maxey is like the wind. He gets up to dangerous speeds, and can make you feel uncomfortable. Fortunately, Boston brought their windbreaker, and inside TD Garden there wasn’t even a breeze. Without Joel Embiid, Game 1 was all about Maxey. We knew that, he knew that, and most importantly, so did the Celtics. Maxey […]
Going into the series against the Sixers, the Celtics had to wait to see which coverage Nick Nurse would pick on ball-screen actions. As most modern basketball plays start with a screen for the ball-handler, the chosen coverage tells a lot about a team’s philosophy and its capabilities. If Joël Embiid was healthy (so a […]
1. Playoff Jayson Tatum Is Back The last time Jayson Tatum played in the playoffs was May 12th 2025. He dropped 42 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists before he suffered what is known as one of the worst injuries a basketball player could sustain in a Torn Achilles. It was only 342 days later […]
BOSTON — With the first quarter clock winding down, Jordan Walsh sprinted as fast as he could down the court. In perfect harmony, Jayson Tatum found him for a transition layup to beat the buzzer, and the Celtics extended their lead over the Philadelphia 76ers to 15 in the opening game of the playoffs. In […]
The NBA has officially announced three finalists for all major awards, and it doesn’t look like any Celtic player will be taking home individual regular-season hardwood this season. But one pretty important Celtic is likely to come away with a trophy. Joe Mazzulla is named a Coach of the Year finalist Mazzulla seems pretty likely […]
BOSTON — Six months ago, Jayson Tatum didn’t know he’d return in time for the playoffs. He wasn’t even certain he’d play at all until next season. Those thoughts of doubt followed him throughout his return from his torn right Achilles tendon, but vanished in Game 1 against the Sixers. “I’m proud of what I’ve […]
If this Celtics season has taught us anything so far, it’s that culture, tradition and collective buy-in truly matter. Those terms aren’t just buzzwords coaches, players and executives throw around for the heck of it. They encapsulate what separates the franchise from so many others in the NBA, and this Celtics team embodies those mantras […]
Twenty-two times, the Celtics and 76ers have tipped off a playoff series with Boston owning a 15-7 lead. Their 23rd meeting started with a 123-91 blowout in Game 1 of this year’s first round series with the Jays combining for 51 points and 10 assists. If there was any doubt that Jayson Tatum wasn’t ready […]
Herald As Celtics playoffs begin, can Boston go from ‘gap year’ to banner year? Six bold predictions for Celtics-76ers playoff series Celtics notebook: Jayson Tatum makes admission ahead of playoff opener Globe With Joel Embiid out, these Celtics better pummel the 76ers on the glass After his career was ‘dead in the water’, Jordan Walsh […]
Philadelphia 76ers (0-0) at Boston Celtics (0-0)Sunday, April 19, 20261:00 PM ETFirst Round Game #1 Home Game #1TV: ABCRadio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 97.5 Fanatic, Sirius XMTD GardenOfficials: Scott Foster, Pat Fraher, Tre Maddox The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers meet in the playoffs for the 23rd time, which includes Philly’s time as the Syracuse […]
At a certain point, you have to stop circling possibilities and just make a call. Nobody enjoys that part, because it means putting something on record and living with it for the next two months. The Celtics enter the playoffs as one of the most difficult teams in the league to pin down. They’ve shown […]
Tyrese Maxey may not be on the level of a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, or even Jalen Brunson, but in a first round series against Philadelphia, the Celtics will get an opportunity to test their top-5 defense. When going up against a great player, there are two schools of thought: let them get theirs and shut […]
BOSTON — This could be Jordan Walsh’s moment, the moment that Brad Stevens envisioned when he drafted a 19-year-old propspet out of Arkansas in 2023. Back then, Walsh was long, athletic defender that the Celtics hoped could eventually mold into someone who could lock down some of the NBA’s best offensive talents. Walsh never really […]
Herald Six bold predictions for Celtics-76ers playoff series Globe 76ers star Joel Embiid out for Game 1 vs. Celtics Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum have been teammates for nine years, and the Celtics’ duo think they are still getting better The Celtics enter the postseason set up for one of their most impressive playoff runs in […]
Last Saturday, my wife and I saw “One of America’s Boldest Orchestras” perform Haydn’s The Creation. It was a deeply moving experience which, on its surface, doesn’t really relate to basketball, but please bear with me here—I’ve already borrowed from Carly Simon and Sly and the Family Stone, so let’s spend some time with Papa […]
The Boston Celtics will enter the playoffs facing a highly familiar opponent. Their upcoming series will mark the 23rd postseason meeting between the Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers, underscoring one of the league’s most enduring rivalries. The two teams also met four times during the regular season. While Jayson Tatum did not appear in any of those matchups, […]
Of the last 20 games of Boston’s regular season, 13 featured a starting lineup of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Sam Hauser and Neemias Queta. Despite Tatum’s late entry into the lineup, that 5-man combo is third in total minutes together this year, sporting a +7 net scoring advantage (per 100 possessions). It’s a […]
The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are set to meet for the 23rd time in the NBA playoffs on Sunday, reigniting one of the league’s most historic rivalries. To coach Joe Mazzulla, this Sixers team in particular presents a challenge for the C’s. “Philly’s a great team, as you saw throughout the season, and to […]
Herald Celtics notebook: Jayson Tatum makes admission ahead of playoff opener Globe The rest of us had doubts, but it seems these Celtics knew how good they could be all along Younger fans may not know, but there’s real history in a Celtics-Sixers playoff series, and other thoughts How are Jaylen Brown’s numbers looking since […]
Jayson Tatum wasn’t sure he was going to be here. “I get the opportunity to be a part of this team and play in the playoffs — I couldn’t be more grateful,” Tatum said at his media session on Friday. “I think there’s just more of a sense of gratitude than ever. Not that I […]
The Boston Celtics will face the Philadelphia Sixers in the first round of the playoffs, and it is safe to say that they are the clear favorites. The Sixers have the 18th-best net rating (-0.3 per Cleaning The Glass) and will have to play without their best player, Joël Embiid. In the meantime, the Celtics […]
BOSTON — Jrue Holiday’s two-year tenure in Boston technically ended in May. After he was traded from the Celtics to the Trail Blazers, Jrue and his wife, Lauren, packed up their family and moved to Portland, where the two-time NBA champion would join a younger, up-and-coming squad hoping to punch their first ticket to the […]
Jaylen Brown just put together the best season of his career and it wasn’t particularly close. Averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, Brown showed that not only can he be the number one option on a playoff team, but he can be the number one on a really good playoff team. […]
The playoffs bring out something different in us. Suddenly, media and fans alike have takes they need to get on record — not because it’s right, necessarily, but because there’s a chance it might be. And if it is, well, you’ll be hearing about it for the next six months. The other 480 takes that […]
Herald Four things to know about 76ers entering Celtics playoff matchup Celtics’ first-round opponent finalized after 76ers-Magic play-in game Globe 5 things to know about the Celtics’ first-round playoff opponent Philadelphia fans chant ‘We want Boston’ ahead of playoff series vs. Celtics Celtics to face Philadelphia 76ers in first round of NBA playoffs With Tyrese […]