Yeah, it's going to be a while before anyone gets over the Boston Celtics losing in the fashion that they did. In fact, many will point to the 2026 NBA Playoffs as perhaps the biggest failure of the Jays era. At the same time, given the New York Knicks' straight-up dominance in these playoffs, it would not have mattered whether the Celtics moved on or not.
The Knicks have straight-up annihilated the Eastern Conference in historic fashion this postseason, culminating in them cruising to the 2026 NBA Finals. Not only have they not lost in over a month, but the team that gave them the most trouble was Atlanta. Philadelphia didn't even take a game from them, showing both the disparity between the East and everyone else and how outmatched Boston would have been.
One could argue the East is just that weak, but that argument doesn't hold as much water against the Knicks because they have thoroughly dominated the East after once being down 2-1.
Many Celtics fans were looking forward to getting revenge for last year's playoff loss, but the 76ers more or less exposed that the team had a pretty low ceiling. Maybe Boston would have won if Jayson Tatum didn't get hurt, but it may not have mattered with a surging, well-rounded Knicks team waiting for them in the next round.
We'll never know, but the Knicks have been simply too good for there to be any confidence that the Celtics would have given them a good series. Making it harder to believe that they would have is the fact that the Knicks won their regular season series 3-1.
Next season should be different though
In a way, the Celtics should be thankful that the Sixers exposed that they have some work to do this summer. This regular season was super fun to watch in real time, but there's a reason why no one's really discussing that these days.
Seasons like the one the Celtics just had are a reminder that it can all be for naught if it doesn't translate into anything worthwhile. That's why Boston needs to be (and supposedly has been) on the prowl for game-changers like Giannis Antetokounmpo.
It doesn't necessarily have to be him, but it's clear that the Celtics need impactful players to measure up to the Knicks with the historic dominance they've had, regardless of whether they win the title or not. That high a bar should definitely factor into Brad Stevens' decision-making this summer.
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