The Boston Celtics have been home to one of the NBA's most encouraging youth movements this season. That's at the heart of a campaign spent defying external expectations. It's why they're able to lean on their depth and maintain their identity of playing hard for every minute of every matchup.
That approach fueled a 56-win season that propelled Boston to the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Now, it's time for those less familiar with the playoff stage to prove themselves as the pressure and the stakes amplify.
Don't expect that group to buckle. Joe Mazzulla and his coaching staff have spent the campaign preparing them to be at their best this time of the year.
Joe Mazzulla on preparing the Celtics with less playoff experience for the postseason:
— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) April 18, 2026
“We have to keep that consistent.” pic.twitter.com/M6DXZYKNmN
"Developing the mindset regardless of the environment. You have to be able to execute. You have to be able to do the things that impact winning," said Mazzulla when asked about ensuring the younger Celtics were ready for the playoffs a day before Game 1 at TD Garden. "Try to keep that message consistent, whether it's training camp, preseason, regular season, [or the] playoffs. Obviously, there's another level of physicality and intensity, but you can't be distracted by the things that lead to winning on a consistent basis."
There's also the possibility that ignorance is bliss, at least for some. And that entering the postseason with minimal or zero experience in this setting translates to playing with more freedom.
"You can go either way. You could be so experienced [to] where you overthink because you've had so many situations. You [could] just go in [with] zero expectations [and] be able to execute. Everything has a good and a bad side, or a positive and a negative side," said Mazzulla. "In reality, you've got to be focused on the main thing, playing against a great team. You have to choose to, if you do it for one quarter, one half, one game, it doesn't matter. You have to choose to do it over and over again."
The Celtics' youth are ready for their playoff opportunities
There are two prime examples of players Boston is leaning on who aren't as familiar with this higher-stakes setting. Starting center Neemias Queta, who just reached over 2,000 career minutes this season, is one of them.
The last time the Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers squared off, the Lisbon, Portugal, native delivered a career night. Queta registered 27 points, with 13 stemming from his 10 offensive rebounds. Those were new personal bests for him.
The seven-foot-center's ability to help Boston control the glass and win on the margins is a crucial component of the contributions his team will need from Queta to advance to the second round.
The other player to highlight entering this series against the Sixers is Jordan Walsh. The young wing is long, has quick feet, and his time in the film room has helped him win with anticipation against some of the NBA's premier scorers.
The list of top offensive options he has gotten the better of includes Tyrese Maxey. He has held Philadelphia's star guard to 1/10 shooting as his primary defender. Given Maxey's speed, Walsh is as well-equipped for this assignment as anyone on the Celtics.
"There's a couple things that I've learned through with talking to JB, he's kind of like taken point in that, and showed me the film behind the film that people don't see," said Walsh on Saturday at the Auerbach Center while discussing his preparation to guard Maxey. "But there's definitely things that I think I'm going to be better at, that I've seen, that I will be better at, and also other things that I get to add and test out, kind of play with to see if it really gets under his skin or makes him mad or gives me some type of an advantage."
Working with Jaylen Brown and reviewing how those opportunities went in the regular season will help him build off the success he had in his regular-season reps against the 76ers' franchise guard.
If Walsh and Queta do their job at the level they did during the regular season, then the Celtics should feel good about their ability to take care of business in this first-round rivalry clash.
Add us as a preferred source on Google