BOSTON — This “gentleman’s sweep” business is a nice piece of 21st-century NBA jargon that gets put to service whenever a very good team allows a winnable playoff game to slip away. But for Jayson Tatum and the 2025-26 Boston Celtics, the term is inappropriate language.
That we’re even having this discussion is because the Philadelphia 76ers emerged with a 111-97 victory over the Celtics on Tuesday night at TD Garden in Game 2 of this opening-round playoff series. The Celtics had positioned themselves for a sweep after rolling to a 123-91 victory in Game 1, but it was something Tatum said after that laugher that wasn’t all that funny at the time and is even less so now.
“I’m still rehabbing,” Tatum said. He was speaking, of course, of his long, lonely road to recovery after suffering that devastating right Achilles tear last spring at Madison Square Garden. That he would put it out there after Game 1 that he’s still rehabbing — this after scoring 26 points in 30 minutes — means he’s either being humble or candid. Either way, it illustrates why getting a sweep in this series was especially important for the Celtics.
This isn’t exactly a news bulletin, but it bears repeating in light of what happened Tuesday night: The fewer games Tatum needs to play in the early rounds, the stronger he’ll be in potential later rounds. One could argue the other way, pointing out that the extra minutes will sharpen his shooting. But … nah. Even taking into account that Tatum was a little off in Game 2 — he netted a 3-pointer just 23 seconds into the game but was 2-for-8 overall on deep shots — it’s not to his benefit, or Boston’s, for his series to turn into a slog.
Give credit to the Sixers: They showed up, played tough and took home-court advantage. Rookie VJ Edgecombe (30 points) and two-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey (29 points) carried their offense, especially in the second quarter when Philly outpointed the Celtics 37-26. As Jaylen Brown (36 points) put it so well, “(Edgecombe) is a capable shooter, so we just have to be able to adjust and be ready to guard him. Because he’s a ballplayer. He’s a rookie, but he can play.”
That’s the good stuff. But Brown also directed some criticism at his own team, saying, “I thought Edgecombe was just too comfortable.”
There were sobering words from Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla as well.
Here’s Joe on the second quarter: “You lose a quarter by 11, that’s tough to come back from in a playoff game.”
Here’s Joe on the Celtics’ spotty shooting, including just 13 3-pointers on 50 attempts: “I thought we got great looks, but we missed them.”
And here’s Joe on the Celtics coming to within two points of the 76ers in the fourth quarter and then going bye-bye: “You look at it, 91-89, and then they go on a run … you have to be able to score in close games against a team like that, and they made more shots than us down the stretch.”
So, yes, absolutely, the Celtics wasted an opportunity to go up 2-0. If the Celtics go on to win this series in, OK, five games — you know, the nice- and tidy-sounding but, where the Celtics are concerned, stupid gentleman’s sweep — it’ll mean Tatum will have played one more game than he had to. That’s something to think about, especially if the Celtics play the New York Knicks in the second round. That would be a grueling series. For Tatum in particular, it would be grueling and emotional.
To his credit, Tatum is presenting himself as a big-picture kind of guy. During his postgame session with the media, he was reminded of his comment after Game 1 (“I’m still rehabbing”) and then was asked, simply, “How you feeling?”
“I’m feeling good,” he said. “It sounds cliche, but I’m back in the playoffs, and for me, it’s a win every day that I get to, you know … I’ve come back from what happened last May, and I’ve been able to play at this level for the month.
“Obviously, I’m going to continue to get better,” Tatum added. “But I get to walk off the court on my own two feet. As long as I can do that, every game I win a little bit.”
It’s not that Tatum didn’t deliver highlights in Game 2. Did you have a favorite? Maybe it was that play in the second quarter when he intercepted a pass and went all the way the other way for a dunk that rocked the building. Perhaps it was the 3-pointer from the corner midway through the fourth quarter to cut Philly’s lead to three.
Jayson Tatum gets the steal and gets to the rim! pic.twitter.com/U9xtC4DqsG
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 22, 2026
But it wasn’t enough. Not from these Celtics. And not on a night when Edgecombe was way too comfortable and getting away with it.
And so this series will go at least five games. If Boston wins and you want to sound cool, call it a gentleman’s sweep. But if you want to sound realistic, call it an extra game that a still-rehabbing Jayson Tatum needed to play.