Problem or not, Celtics' nemesis against 76ers is the same old story

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May 1, 2026 - 12:38

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Problem or not, Celtics' nemesis against 76ers is the same old story originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

This isn't about whether you think the Boston Celtics shoot too many 3-pointers.

That's who the Celtics are. That's who head coach Joe Mazzulla wants them to be. That's not changing.

This is about the reality that has led Boston to a 3-3 series tie with the Philadelphia 76ers after it began with a Game 1 blowout that made this seem like it would be a cakewalk.

It doesn't matter which side of the 3-point dialogue you fall on. The reality simply is that that's the story.

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The Celtics shot 12-for-41 from 3-point range on Thursday night in their 106-93 loss to the 76ers. That's 29% from beyond the arc.

Payton Pritchard was 1-for-8. Sam Hause was 1-for-5. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were each 2-for-6.

The 41 3-pointers out of 86 field goal attempts is actually a lower rate than the Celtics have sometimes, but still a much higher rate than the 76ers, who were 11-for-33 from 3-point range (33%) and attempted 89 field goals overall.

Boston's curse isn't that the 3-point approach is wrong. It very well is likely the highest-upside method the Celtics could have.

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It does have risk, though. It does create nights where the shots don't fall. It does turn this into a sport where it's truly, unequivocally about who makes more shots -- and not about all those other little things that analysts will point to as determining games.

If the Celtics come out in Game 7 and make their 3-pointers, they'll probably win. If they don't, they have a strong chance of losing.

That doesn't make it the wrong approach. It just makes it the whole ballgame.