When the Philadelphia 76ers tied their series against the Boston Celtics, it would have made sense to panic a tad, since giving a playoff opponent homecourt advantage would have been bad news, but the Celtics didn't. Now they're up 3-1 going back home, and anyone who knows about Boston's history in recent years knows that road adversity doesn't faze them. In fact, they love it.
This has been the Celtics MO. They are road warriors. In fact, it can be argued that they like playing more on the road than they do at home since Joe Mazzulla took over. In every single playoff series, they've won at least one road game with Mazzulla calling the shots. Actually, it took until his seventh playoff series for Boston to win only one road game.
2023: Hawks (two road wins), 76ers (two road wins), Heat (two road wins)
2024: Heat (two road wins), Cavaliers (two road wins), Pacers (two road wins), Mavericks (one road win)
2025: Magic (one road win), Knicks (one road win)
So, based on their history, it's actually not that shocking that Boston swept the two-game homestand against Philadelphia. It wasn't always pretty, but the Celtics rose to the challenge yet again and have all the momentum going into Game 5.
The Celtics have consistently proven they are down but never out
Game 2 was pretty discouraging because not only did the Celtics lose, but they lost to VJ Edgecombe, who went off against a Sixers team that didn't have Embiid. Even so, it didn't faze them in the slightest, as they not only rebounded but played well enough to blow them out even after Embiid returned.
Even when the Sixers started having a magnet ball in the third quarter, the Celtics matched them shot for shot. Boston shouldn't expect Philadelphia to fold completely in their next matchup, but even if the latter manages to beat the former again at home, the Celtics' reputation as road warriors should put everyone's minds at ease, should it even come to that.
This is the ultimate secret ingredient to the Celtics' extensive success for the past few years. What really defines a title contender isn't just how far they go but also how they respond when they lose a game that they probably should have won.
It's not about just having the talent to win a championship but also about the poise. To be fair, that's why Boston has always had an edge on Philadelphia since the Jays era started. It's very possible the Sixers could come back and win this, but knowing the Celtics' recent history, it'd be wise to not make that bet.
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