\u201cI thought we got great looks. I thought we missed them,\u201d NBA Coach-of-the-Year favorite Joe Mazzulla explained, his team 13 for 50 on threes. \u201cWe missed a lot of good shots and they made more shots than us down the stretch. Credit them. They made shots.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI thought we played some good offense. We just couldn\u2019t convert offensively.\u201d<\/p>\n
So there you go. The Celtics outrebounded the Sixers (50-42) and had more assists (24-18), but simply lost because the Sixers made 19 of 39 threes and the Celtics didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
This is the state of the NBA in the spring of 2026. It\u2019s a make-or-miss league. The old standards of stingy defense, fast-break offenses, 50-50 balls, pick-and-rolls, and protecting the rim no longer apply.<\/p>\n
Who needs coaches? Or big arenas? Why not just play these games at Dave and Buster\u2019s?<\/p>\n
![\"Jaylen](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/YBIPM54RA4U5BV5UFSANZ2XWFY.JPG\")
Jaylen Brown poured in 36 points in Game 2, but his teammates didn’t offer enough support offensively.Danielle Parhizkaran\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n
There were warning signs around the league Monday. The favored Knicks lost at home to the Hawks, as did the estimable Nuggets to the Timberwolves. Mazzulla admitted he watched both games; the Blazers similarly upset the Spurs while his team played Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe expect to see a better version of the Sixers tonight,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
How could they have been worse than they were Sunday when they lost by 32, never held a lead, and never truly competed?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got our butts kicked,\u201d Philly coach Nick (good night) Nurse admitted early Tuesday. \u201cIt\u2019s not just tweaks and adjustments. We\u2019ve just got to play a lot better in a lot of areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey just did us easy,\u201d Maxey said after Game 1. \u201cI feel like it was an easy game and that\u2019s not OK. We\u2019ve got to make them more uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sixers did not look improved at the start, when the Celtics bolted to a 26-13 first-quarter lead propelled by a thunderous Jaylen Brown dunk and punctuated when Brown acted out and picked up a technical.<\/p>\n
This time, Philly fought back. A 6-point burst by backboard beast Andre Drummond \u2014 a Jim Calhoun recruit \u2014 gave the visitors a 41-39 lead midway through the second. The Sixers beefed that to 62-54 at intermission. Edgecombe had 20 at the half.<\/p>\n
It was time for a Togo Palazzi pep talk (look him up), or maybe a few Red Bulls.<\/p>\n
Nope. The Celts cut it to 3 late in the third, but Edgecombe canned a couple of pull-ups and a fadeaway and Philly led, 84-77. We expected a full fury fourth from the Celtics, but that never materialized. They cut Philly\u2019s lead to 91-89 with six minutes left, but Maxey then took over the game, raining pullups and step-backs on the heads of the Green Team.<\/p>\n
![\"Tyrese](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GQQRRPGYTT6UMGBXYRTY3PBTEQ.jpg\")
Tyrese Maxey had plenty to say as he put the game away for Philadelphia in the fourth quarter.Barry Chin\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n
Jaylen Brown finished with 36 and made 5-of-12 threes. Sam Hauser and Jayson Tatum were both 2 for 8, Derrick White was 2 for 10, and Payton Pritchard 0 for 4 from international waters.<\/p>\n
Now, the series has some edge. It\u2019s not Darryl Dawkins shattering a backboard, or Julius Erving choking Larry Bird, or Cedric Maxwell going after a fan in the Spectrum, but it\u2019s 1-1 going to Philadelphia on Friday night. The Sixers have earned more than a little respect from those of us who doubted them. <\/p>\n
And what if Embiid returns from his appendectomy?<\/p>\n
There will be no four-game sweep, and there\u2019s not much chance of a gentleman\u2019s one either now that the Sixers have won a game in Boston.<\/p>\n
Just don\u2019t waste your time worrying about Xs and Os or adjustments.<\/p>\n
The Celtics simply need to make more shots.<\/p>\n
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at daniel.shaughnessy@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @dan_shaughnessy<\/a>.<\/p>\n