Even if the Boston Celtics win Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers and advance to take on the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs, the damage has been done. This Celtics team has been fun to watch, but they are not serious title contenders this season.
Everybody counted the Celtics out this season, and it's not hard to figure out why. Nobody knew if Jayson Tatum was going to return from his Achilles injury during the campaign. And, even if he did, nobody knew how he was going to look and perform right away.
Additionally, Boston's offseason fire sale was impossible to ignore. Losing Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet (who all played a big role in the team's 2024 championship run) was a tough blow, and it was fair to say the team was going to take a step back.
However, they exceeded expectations. Tatum came back and looked just as good (and in some areas better) than before. Jaylen Brown had an MVP-caliber season. And guys like Neemias Queta, Payton Pritchard, and even Anfernee Simon (remember him?) stepped up in a big way. But at the end of the day, this Celtics team overachieved and is heavily flawed.
With Tatum, Brown, and Joe Mazzulla leading the way, the Celtics have a bright future and should be in title contention for years to come. But can they win it all this year? Highly, highly unlikely.
The Celtics are not going to win the championship this season
And that's ok! If you had told me at any point in the offseason that the Celtics would finish the regular season with a 56-26 record, own the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, and finish in the top-five in offensive and defensive ratings, I wouldn't have believed you. For them to be at this point is borderline miraculous, and this team has been a blast to follow.
But if they can't take care of business against this 76ers team (who were without Joel Embiid for the first three games, how do you expect them to eliminate the Knicks (especially after last year's debacle), and just about any team out West? You can't.
In the words of someone you may be familiar with (likely for all the wrong reasons), Larry Bird is not walking through that door. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door. Robert Parish is not walking through that door. (Isaiah Thomas might, but the Celtics will probably just slam it in his face and triple-lock it).
The future is bright in Boston, and there's a lot to look forward to. But regardless of what happens on Saturday night, the Celtics have proved one thing: they don't have what it takes to raise another banner in 2026.
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