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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Boston Celtics walked into Philadelphia with a chance to close the door on the series. Instead, they left with some serious questions heading into a winner-take-all Game 7.
In a 106–93 Game 6 loss to the 76ers on Thursday night, Boston was outplayed, out-executed, and at times, outclassed.
The Sixers controlled the game for long stretches, building a lead that ballooned to 25 points behind a balanced attack led by Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, while Boston’s offense stalled.
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Now, with the series shifting back to Boston for a pivotal Game 7, Charles Barkley has exposed the biggest issue the Celtics face.
"They don't make any adjustments," Barkley said. "They're just going to come out and jack up 3s. And even when they've been successful, even when they won a championship, and the year or two in between, they just play one way. We just got to jack up 3s. When they go in, they're probably going to blow you out. But when they don't go in, they lose."
"Sometimes, when you're not making 3s, it's like maybe I should drive to the basket, get a couple layups in, get a foul. You know, sometimes that will loosen a shooter up," Barkley added. "But the Celtics make no adjustments. They're just like, 'We're just going to shoot threes.'"
"When it works, it's beautiful. When they miss, it looks ugly."
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Since their 2024 title run, Boston has built an offense that lives on spacing, ball movement, and 3-point shooting.
The year they won the championship, the Celtics averaged 42.5 attempts per night from long range, leading the NBA, while knocking down 38.8% of them, the second-best mark in the league.
The following season, the volume climbed even higher to 48.2 attempts per game, again first in the NBA. But the efficiency dipped to 36.8%, just 10th in the league.
This past season, Boston scaled back slightly to 42.2 attempts per game (fourth), converting 36.7% (eighth).
Now, in the playoffs, that trend has hit a tipping point. The Celtics are launching 45.7 3s per game, easily the most in the field, but hitting just 35% of them. And the split becomes even more revealing when you zoom in.
In their three losses against Philadelphia:
- 13 of 50 (26%) in Game 2
- 11 of 39 (28%) in Game 5
- 12 of 41 (29%) in Game 6
In their three wins:
- 16 of 44 (36%) in Game 1
- 20 of 47 (43%) in Game 3
- 25 of 53 (45%) in Game 4
At their best, it looks like controlled chaos. Drive, kick, swing, fire and repeat. But when those shots stop falling, to Barkley’s point, the offense can freeze entirely.
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Boston’s system is designed to prioritize efficiency, and analytically, threes and rim attempts are king. But the danger isn’t the volume of 3s. It’s the lack of counterpunch when defenses take those away.
Elite playoff teams need a second gear. The Oklahoma City Thunder, for instance, seemlessly shift to downhill attacks, post mismatches, or foul-drawing sequences that stabilize scoring when the perimeter cools.
Barkley’s point is that Boston too often stays in first gear, even when it’s clearly not working. And Philadelphia has noticed. They’ve tightened rotations, closed out harder, and dared Boston to win inside.
So far, Boston hasn’t consistently accepted that challenge.
Looking ahead to Game 7, Boston needs to attack the paint early. That means more drives from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, more pick-and-roll pressure, and a willingness to get physical and play through contact.
They also need lineup flexibility. Game 6 raised questions about rotations, especially when Philadelphia made runs. If Boston waits too long to adjust again, Game 7 could slip the same way fast.
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