NBA playoffs 2026 takeaways: Jayson Tatum the best player on the floor in Celtics' dominant Game 1 win over 76ers

The 2026 NBA playoffs continue Sunday with four Game 1s: 76ers-Celtics, Suns-Thunder, Magic-Pistons and Trail-Blazers-Spurs. We’re breaking down the key takeaways from each game. Here are our takeaways from Saturday’s Game 1s.

Celtics 123, 76ers 91 Jayson Tatum looked like Jayson Tatum If there were concerns about how Jayson Tatum might look in his first playoff game since tearing his right Achilles last May, he eased them in the opening minutes. He played the entire first quarter, logging a 10-7-4, well on his way to 25 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists in 33 minutes. He did all of the Jayson Tatum things — scoring from every level, playmaking, rebounding, defending at a high level, you name it.

He called Tyrese Maxey or Andre Drummond into the action, operating out of the high post or from the perimeter. He was, quite simply, the best player on the floor, and who could have seen that coming in Game 1 of a 2026 playoff series at year’s start? Joel Embiid’s absence is everything For all the wear and tear on his oft-injured knees, Joel Embiid is still a top-end rim protector.

Few players contested more shots than Embiid’s 7. 1 challenges around the rim per game, and opponents shot 5. 5% worse than their season averages on those attempts.