💔 Processing… Celtics Dealt Early Postseason Exit

This one stings. As heavy favorites carrying the third-best championship odds in the league, the Celtics had the 76ers right where they wanted them — up 3–1 in the first round. Then it all came apart.

Boston dominated Games 1 through 4, with Payton Pritchard delivering Game 4 heroics to push the series to the brink. But Philadelphia flipped the switch the moment Joel Embiid returned from injury. After sitting the first three games, Embiid was dominant down the stretch, and the supporting cast followed.

• Tyrese Maxey — steady, relentless scoring all series.
• Paul George — consistent two-way production when it mattered.
• V.J. Edgecombe — the rookie was unexpectedly huge.

Where Boston Lost It

The role players disappeared at the worst time. Derrick White went quiet, and Nikola Vucevic and Sam Hauser couldn't provide the lift they did all season. And with Jayson Tatum unavailable for Game 7, the margin was simply too thin. Three straight losses to close the series, and a championship-caliber season ends in the opening round.

Time to process. Then time to reload.