In a familiar spot, down 3-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Boston Celtics are once again facing a franchise crossroad.
Even after losing Game 1 to the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers, the Boston Celtics still felt in control of this series. And that much was evident when they won Games 2 and 3 relatively easily. Despite being down for much of Game 4, the Celtics took a lead late in the game and fumbled the win away in overtime. Still, in a 2-2 series, the Celtics felt like a team that would figure out how to prevail.
With Game 5 on their home floor, the Celtics would surely take series command back. They didn’t.
Instead, the Celtics came out flat. They looked like a team that was playing a regular season game in mid-January. No urgency, no energy. The Sixers, on the other hand, looked like a team that was ready to get over the hump. At TD Garden, the Sixers controlled Game 5 from the opening tip and took a series-commanding 3-2 lead over the Celtics.
Philadelphia is now one game away from its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2001. The Celtics are now one loss away from what could end up being an off-season with difficult conversations and even bigger decisions.
The Boston Celtics shouldn’t panic yet
But before we get there, I don’t think it’s time for the Sixers to celebrate too much or for the Celtics to feel too bad about themselves. Boston is in a place it has been before. In fact, they were in this very familiar position last year against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
In last year’s conference semifinals, the Celtics were down 3-2 after losing Game 5 on their home floor. The Celtics found a way to bounce back to win Game 6 on the road and then eventually won Game 7 on their home floor to send them to the conference finals and then eventually the NBA Finals.
Because of what the Celtics managed to do last season, this is a team that shouldn’t – and won’t – panic just yet. The big question is whether or not this current team, with this current coaching staff, has what it takes to have the mental fortitude to win on the road with everything on the line.
Unlike last season, there’s a feeling like so much more is at stake this time around for the Celtics.
This is a team that was just a couple of wins away from winning a championship last season. Losing in the second round of the playoffs this year would be a massive step back. With the questions surrounding Jaylen Brown heading into the off-season, you can’t help but wonder what a premature elimination in this year’s playoff run would mean for the franchise moving forward.
While recent history suggests the Celtics shouldn’t panic being down 3-2 to the Sixers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, there’s no question that the franchise is heading into a bit of a crossroad heading into Game 6.