The Boston Celtics failed to close out the Philadelphia 76ers last night. Not only did they collapse completely in the second half, but they lost in a really winnable game. The 76ers don't fit the profile of your typical No. 7 seed, as it's clear that with Joel Embiid back, they have the talent to make Boston sweat. It's also clear that, like their series three years ago, the Celtics have to make a pivotal adjustment to win this one.
2023 was a different story from 2026, as the two teams met up in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where it looked like Philadelphia had the edge on Boston for most of it. To be fair, that was primarily because James Harden, a notorious playoff dropper, had somehow found his anti-kryptonite.
For a minute it felt like the Sixers were going to take that series until Joe Mazzulla made a pretty gutsy decision: inserting Robert Williams III for Derrick White. Multiple factors went into how the Celtics turned the tide, but going bigger stopped the Sixers from getting into their groove like they had bene in their previous wins.
That option isn't there this time, but there is one adjustment that the Celtics can make: playing Payton Pritchard. This has been talked about multiple times since their shocking loss, and for good reason.
Pritchard may not always be the most efficient player, but there has been no indication that the Sixers have figured out how to stop him. With Derrick White's jumper still a non-factor until he proves otherwise, Pritchard is evidently Boston's third-best scorer, meaning he deserves more minutes.
Sample is obviously very small, but here is a look at which actions have been the most successful in the First Round so far pic.twitter.com/5p7j1k5cW8
— ALL NBA Podcast (@ALLCITY_NBA) April 27, 2026
Such an adjustment will force the Sixers to have to adapt, but when he's not out there, Boston's offense has shown itself to sputter.
He's not the only one who needs more time
Playing Pritchard more will make the Celtics a tougher matchup against the Sixers, but the Celtics also clearly need to play a few more players more. Beisdes Pritchard, the ones who need more time are Jordan Walsh and Nikola Vucevic.
Throughout the series, Walsh has provided excellent defense on Tyrese Maxey and given the Celtics more energy on the boards. A floor spacer, he is not, but he has shown how well he can blanket Philly's offense.
The other one is Nikola Vucevic. Before Celtics fans gladly point out that Embiid beat the crap out of Vucevic in the post the other night, which is true, note that Neemias Queta did not have better luck against him.
Moreover, Vucevic gives Boston more of a spacing threat that forces Embiid to come out of the paint. The trick to beating the Sixers is tiring him out. It's why, even if he is dominating inside, Boston simply has to play more of their floor spacing bigs like Vucevic and Luka Garza to at least make Embiid defend harder and/or find the cracks in Philly's defense.
As frustrating as Boston's loss was last night, at least their issues are fixable, but it's on them to make the proper fixes before it's too late.
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