Celtics eliminated, Brown sounds off on Embiid: “Too many whistles”

The Boston Celtics season ended in the toughest way possible: a 109-100 loss in Game 7 to the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden and a first-round exit from the NBA Playoffs.

A series that looked firmly in Boston’s control at 3-1 turned into a full comeback by the Sixers, who flipped everything and secured a historic advancement. For Philadelphia, it was also a symbolic milestone: their first playoff series win over the Celtics since 1982.

Embiid delivers in the biggest moment

Once again, Joel Embiid was the night’s defining figure, returning after the emergency appendectomy that had sidelined him for the first three games of the series.

The Sixers center finished Game 7 with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists, imposing his physicality throughout the night. Boston consistently struggled with his presence near the rim and never found truly effective answers.

Jaylen Brown’s criticism

On the other side, Jaylen Brown tried to keep the Celtics alive with a 33-point performance, but all the frustration of elimination came out after the game.

Brown acknowledged how difficult Embiid was to contain, but also openly criticized the way the game was officiated and how the Sixers star used contact.

It was tough. Embiid put pressure on all of our bigs and even our guards. We really didn’t have an answer for him. We tried different things… he flopped quite a bit too, got some extra whistles and things like that, and they rewarded him for it. But you know, this is the league we play in. I’ve got nothing else to say

Jaylen Brown

A direct reference to flopping, the tendency to exaggerate contact in order to draw fouls.

Boston without Tatum and short on answers

Compounding Boston’s problems was the absence of Jayson Tatum, who was ruled out shortly before tipoff with a knee injury.

I found out 45 minutes before the game. Nobody had told me anything. Mentally, though, I was still ready

Jaylen Brown

Brown said he learned the news right before the game, without changing his own mindset, but losing the team’s top offensive option heavily impacted Boston’s balance.

Embiid’s return changed everything

After the Game 7 loss, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla also offered a broader read on the series. He pointed to Embiid’s return as the turning point that completely shifted the matchup.

What changed in this series is that Joel Embiid came back, and they’re a completely different team

Joe Mazzulla

A series that leaves questions for Boston

This elimination stings not only because of the result, but because of how it happened. The Celtics lost control of the series after going up 3-1, lacked offensive consistency and never found stable defensive solutions against Embiid.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, moves on behind a qualification built on steady growth throughout the series and the leadership of its star center, who returned to dominate in the most critical moment.