Stephen A. Smith Calls Out Jaylen Brown, Celtics for Major Issue vs. 76ers
The Boston Celtics caused their own demise in Game 7, falling 109 to a hungry Philadelphia 76ers team that had all of its key players available.
Philly completed an impressive comeback after being down 3-1, with much credit to Joel Embiid. In his return from an appendectomy, the big man was stellar and put on another big performance Saturday to lead his team to the next round of the postseason.
While many will point to the Celtics not having Jayson Tatum due to injury, others are criticizing Boston for a different reason, and they’re right. A tendency to live and die by the three-pointer really hurt this squad, as they kept firing from long range as their strategy, even in a one-point game.
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith brought attention to that critical issue, which really made the Celtics and their fans suffer, even though Game 7 could have gone much differently.
Read more:Celtics' Joe Mazzulla Under Fire After 76ers Win Game 7 in Boston
“Props to the @sixers. Big-time win. But I don't understand for the life of me how the @celtics spent 6-straight possessions launching 3's - including 3 from @FCHWPO - in the last 2 min of a 1-point game. How? Why? Nobody goes to the hole? Tries to draw a foul? Get to the free throw line? Oh Well. The @sixers deserve this moment. The. Monday arrives, as to my @nyknicks #LetsGo,” Smith wrote in a postgame X message.
Most likely, Smith will continue ranting about that narrative with his ESPN cohorts on Monday, and others will mention it on sports shows or podcasts, and it’s completely justified.
Read more:Joe Mazzulla Explains Reasoning Behind Jayson Tatum Being Ruled Out for Game 7
Jaylen Brown attempted to carry this Boston squad with Tatum on the bench due to knee stiffness, but it wasn’t enough. He finished with 33 points on 12-for-27 shooting, but was also 3 of 9 from downtown.
Derrick White, who finished with 26 points, hoisted up 16 3-pointers, the most of any Celtics player. He only made five of those shots. Overall, Joe Mazzulla's Celtics shot 13-for-49 from three-point range in the loss, a glaring weakness when it happens.
Relying on the three-point shot isn’t always the answer. Another recent example comes from college basketball, where the UConn Huskies relied on three-pointers throughout their season and in the NCAA Tournament.
In the National Championship Game against Michigan, those shots weren’t falling, and Michigan claimed the victory. While a hot 3-point shooting team can surge to a win, UConn’s 9-for-33 finish from downtown led to a 27 percent three-point rate also showed how relying on the shot can really hurt when it’s not falling.
That said, it doesn’t seem like Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has any plans to change his strategy, unless this team makes roster changes that could force them to find other ways to score and win games.
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This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 1:47 PM.