Brad Stevens Admits Celtics' Fatal Shortcomings In Shocking Playoff Exit

Brad Stevens Admits Celtics' Fatal Shortcomings In Shocking Playoff Exit originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Just one week after winning NBA Executive of the Year , Brad Stevens gave a solemn press conference on Wednesday in the wake of the Boston Celtics ' shocking first-round playoff exit against the Philadelphia 76ers.

A lot went wrong for the Celtics during their historic collapse, which saw them blow a 3-1 series lead by losing three straight games, including two at home. Boston's offense went cold over the final nine quarters, missing a ton of 3-pointers and struggling to generate good looks. During Wednesday's press conference, Stevens acknowledged where the Celtics went wrong against the Sixers.

Brad Stevens when asked about the Celtics’ 3-pt attempt rate spiking in the playoffs: “I thought we struggled to generate really good shots on our first possession. ” He also notes that in the last two postseasons, they struggled to get to the rim and that they need to add to… pic. twitter.

com/sv7l0e2cJJ — Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) May 6, 2026 "My general feeling watching us play in each of the last two playoffs... was we had a hard time generating really good looks on that first shot," Stevens said. "So we gotta figure out a way to be better at that.