Steve Purciello recaps the Celtics’ season-ending playoff series loss to Philadelphia, focusing on the games Boston lost and why they had no answers. In Game 5, Boston collapsed offensively in the fourth quarter (3-for-22, 11 points) as Nick Nurse exploited Boston’s inability to stop Joel Embiid on the block, with double-teams leading to kick-out threes that Philly hit well (including Paul George at 55% from three in the series). In Game 6, Boston made few adjustments, stayed in drop coverage, and was hurt by Maxey and Edgecombe, losing by 13. In Game 7, Jayson Tatum was ruled out with left knee stiffness; despite briefly cutting it to one late, Boston missed key open threes and shot 26% from deep, getting little bench scoring. Purciello calls it a fun year but notes change may come, with a future episode on what Brad Stevens might do.
00:00 Welcome and Network Plug
00:57 Season Ends and Episode Focus
01:18 Game 5 Collapse Breakdown
01:36 Embiid on the Block Problem
03:38 Game 6 No Adjustments
05:35 Game 7 Tatum Out
06:52 Missed Chances Late
08:27 Player Stats and Bench Impact
09:36 Season Takeaways and Next Steps
10:24 Looking Ahead to Offseason