The 2025-26 Boston Celtics’ season collapsed in spectacular fashion.
Perspective is everything, though; the fact that they were in a position to collapse speaks to how far they came from preseason expectations.
For months, they were one of the league’s best stories — a hard-working, overachieving group. Jaylen Brown played his way into MVP conversations. The roster brought relentless energy every night. And Joe Mazzulla maximized it all with creative, ever-shifting rotations.
Then Jayson Tatum returned — and suddenly, this wasn’t just a feel-good team anymore. It was a 56-win conference favorite.
And when the clock struck 12 on Boston’s Cinderella run, it ended abruptly. They blew a 3-1 lead to the little-brother Philadelphia 76ers. It’s still jarring.
One week after the Celtics were riding high, there are now legitimate questions surrounding key parts of their long-term outlook.
Still, that collapse cannot erase everything that came before it. During the series loss, the Celtics already started drifting from their successful regular-season recipe. They can’t afford to let that fully get away from them.
Otherwise, what was any of this for?
An Identity Crisis
There were warning signs of why the Celtics weren’t true championship contenders. Most notably, their center rotation was too stiff to keep up with Tyrese Maxey-type pull-up shooters and too small for the strength of centers like Joel Embiid.
But getting outplayed in three straight losses isn’t just about matchups. Especially when they won three of the four games. The Celtics had areas to attack, but they failed to execute.
All season, Boston leaned into organized chaos. Their bench replaced the experience of offseason departures with energy. Mazzulla’s strict, yet open-minded circle of trust kept everyone engaged.
In the playoffs, that identity disappeared.
The rotation tightened. The creativity faded. And too often, the offense devolved into Tatum and Brown taking turns.
That wasn’t who they were this season.
In previous exits, the Celtics at least went down playing their style. This time, it felt like they abandoned it.
Mazzulla’s Late Adjustment
To his credit, Mazzulla eventually circled back. It was too little too late, though.
With Tatum sidelined in Game 7, Boston returned to its depth-driven approach and looked more like itself. They trusted Derrick White and Payton Pritchard to initiate offense. More players felt involved. The energy returned. And although they came up short it was a good reminder of how that style of play put them in a position to compete for a championship.
“From our guys, to come out for a Game 7 and play with that level of intensity, play with that level of trust, that’s the style that we felt like we’ve been doing all year, and I loved it,” Jaylen Brown said after the series-clinching loss.
Mazzulla seemed to acknowledge the need to utilize his depth when he started Baylor Scheierman, Ron Harper Jr., and Luka Garza in Game 7. Going to that extreme didn’t have to be Plan A, but being creative with bench lineups, as Mazzulla did all season long, could’ve helped when Tatum wasn’t injured.
The adjustment didn’t result in a win, but it was a sign of recognition for where the Celtics went wrong. Because the Celtics discovered something this season.
They need to now capitalize on it.
Internal Development
Banner 19 isn’t coming this year. That doesn’t mean they didn’t gain anything from this season.
“A lot of people had a lot of growth this year,” Payton Pritchard said after the Game 7 loss. “Just because you don’t win a championship one year doesn’t mean it didn’t build for the next championship (H/T @NoaDalzell).
There was so much unknown when Tatum went down. Through his injury and the ensuing roster changes, the stayed competitive thanks to a strong established culture and in the process they uncovered a promising supporting core.
In 2024, the Jays were surrounded by elite, proven talent. This version of the Celtics doesn’t have that luxury. If they’re going to contend again, they need to improve the full roster’s talent level. That comes from internal development of their players both to deploy for themselves and package to add talent through trades.
Conclusion
There were too many positives from the regular season to let a devastating series loss define what was, by any measure, a successful year.
Boston has a championship standard that makes it difficult for fans to be content with mere playoff appearances. But the Celtics did just clinch their 12th consecutive playoff berth — the longest active streak in the NBA.
The Celtics have proven to be a well-run organization for years now. That said, following one of the most questionable ends to a season in recent history, eyes are on Joe Mazzulla and Brad Stevens to continue to build off this.
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