Nobody loves playing with their food more than the Celtics in the playoffs

Twice now in their first-round series against the 76ers, it has looked like the Celtics figured things out and were about to put things in cruise control. The first time was right off the bat in Game 1, when the Cs jumped all over the Sixers en route to a 32-point win.

But the very next game, they couldn’t buy a basket while Philly shot the lights out and pulled off the upset in Game 2 in TD Garden. Then, after a hard-fought Game 3 win for the Celtics, it looked like they had everything under control in another 32-point victory in Game 4. But yet again, they followed it up with a dud in Game 5.

At first glance, it’s baffling that a team that looks so vastly superior in one game can inexplicably fall so flat in the same matchup just days later. But maybe it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.

Dating back to the start of the 2022 playoffs, when Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown went to the NBA Finals for the first time, eventually losing to the Warriors, the Celtics are just 4-11 in playoff games following a 20+ win.

Celtics prone to massive letdowns after blowout wins

That’s a big enough sample size that it’s officially a concerning trend for this team, led by Brown and Tatum. Sure enough, that’s the exact script that this series has followed, and it’s the only reason that things are headed back to Philadelphia with the Sixers hoping to force a Game 7; a horrifying scenario for Boston.

And as scary and ugly as Game 5 looked, maybe that’s the best reason for confidence going forward. This is just what the Celtics do. They thrive under adversity and fold when they seem to have a clear upper hand. 

It feels like the Sixers really found some things that worked in Game 5. Joel Embiid got hot and looked like his old MVP self, Quentin Grimes finally arrived in the series, Paul George did a great job defending the Jays, and they are heading back home feeling rightfully confident.

So, in other words, the Celtics have them exactly where they want them. If you know this team well, this path makes perfect sense. They gag the home game when it seems clear to the world they’re about to lock up the series in five games. But now, the most likely outcome is for them to go into a hostile environment, when the other team has all the momentum and confidence, and play their best game to close out the series in six, and crush the hearts of the citizens of Philadelphia. Again.

They're the better team. They usually are. And they usually bounce back after these head-scratching playoff losses. That’s what I’m telling myself, at least, and it’s what I’m choosing to believe and using to fuel my coping, after watching my favorite team blow another big playoff game when it felt almost unfathomable.

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