The Boston Celtics were up 3-1. They had all the momentum in the world. And then, the Philadelphia 76ers struck.
A hard-fought late-game effort wasn't enough in Game 7. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey proved to be too much for the Jayson Tatum-less Celtics to handle.
The Celtics have been eliminated from the playoffs. Here are some ups and downs.
Down: First-three-quarters Jaylen Brown
This was the team Jaylen Brown led to a 56-win regular season. With Tatum out, this was the group Brown helped sit atop the Eastern Conference standings for most of the year.
Yet when the lights were at their brightest, Brown didn't meet the moment.
Turnovers and a sloppy handle plagued the start of his night. His defense left much to be desired, as the Sixers routinely got by him.
And outside of a few pockets of the Brown that will inevitably finish top five (or so) in MVP voting, he completely fell apart.
Even when Brown tried to guard Embiid in the second half, it failed. He couldn't stick with him, and on the other end, he tried to will Boston to victory himself instead of sticking to the offensive process.
Brown enjoyed a ton of success this season. But his last few games will inevitably leave a bad taste in the mouths of many.
By the time his impressive fourth-quarter stretch came around, it was too late.
Up: Energy
Game 6 was as lifeless as this Boston Celtics team looked all year. They were a shell of the team that stormed through the regular season with heart, hustle, and a never-say-die attitude.
In Game 7, they brought that attitude back.
A starting lineup of Brown, Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Ron Harper Jr., and Luka Garza failed to put points on the board. But it certainly set the tone.
They fought hard, crashing the offensive glass and pushing the pace whenever the game allowed.
Hugo Gonzalez's entrance into the fold provided some additional energy, too.
It wasn't always pretty, but the Game 7 Celtics played hard, if nothing else.
Down: Stopping Joel Embiid
Boston had no answer. In fact, it had nothing close to an answer. Everything the Celtics tried to throw Embiid's way failed miserably.
Early in the game, the Celtics sent double-teams. Embiid found cutting teammates for easy dunks under the basket.
They tried playing him one-on-one with Neemias Queta or Garza. Embiid got right through them, too.
As the game went on, Brown, Scheierman, and Gonzalez all tried their hand at stopping Embiid, all to no avail.
He was a force to be reckoned with throughout the entire series, and after years of losing to Boston, Embiid finally got his revenge.
Up: Derrick White
White was brutal the entire series. His shot completely escaped him. But in the first half of Saturday night's game, White gave the Celtics hope.
He was the only player who found any offensive success. His shot returned to form. He was flying around on defense. He was making hustle plays.
The guy who Celtics fans fell in love with for the past five years returned in the blink of an eye.
Unfortunately, White's magic touch was mystically taken away in the third quarter, as he missed wide-open looks that could have helped Boston get out of the hole it created for itself.
Even though he missed some big-time shots, White seemed like the only guy who consistently made a positive impact in Game 7. At least, up until the fourth quarter.
Down: Joe Mazzulla
There are going to be a lot of questions surrounding Joe Mazzulla's decision-making in this first-round series, and rightfully so.
Gonzalez played a massive role in the Celtics' Game 7 success. Where was he the rest of the series?
Scheierman's hustle gave Boston a nice boost on the offensive glass. Why was he on the bench as much as he was?
Why did Luka Garza just start to get the backup minutes in this game? Why weren't perimeter players trying to guard Embiid earlier? Why weren't the Celtics sending help on him earlier?
It felt like a lot of the adjustments Mazzulla tried in this game should have been tested much earlier in the series.
Instead, it all waited until a do-or-die Game 7.
Up: The regulars
The fourth quarter was the best Boston's regulars looked all postseason. Payton Pritchard, Brown, White, Sam Hauser, and Queta fought hard.
They took what was a sure-fire loss and turned it into a dogfight in the final few minutes.
For what seemed like the first time in the entire series, the shots fell, the defense worked, and the hustle was there.
Why didn't that show up in Games 5 and 6? That's another problem. But in the fourth quarter of Game 7.
More ups
Gonzalez deserves a ton of credit for his minutes in Game 7. He came in like a ball of fire and completely shifted the energy at TD Garden.
His defense wasn't always perfect, and he quickly got himself into foul trouble, but his willingness to put his body on the line was essential to Boston getting back in the game after a rough start.
Hauser should also get a small shoutout. He provided the Celtics with some huge threes at a time in the game when they desperately needed them.
Also, for as much as Brown struggled in the first three quarters -- and struggle, he did -- he left everything he had on the court in the fourth quarter.
It wasn't always pretty. He committed some brutal fouls and took some tough shots. But he fought. He fought hard.
And perhaps most impressive of all was his fourth-quarter defense. He took things to another level against Embiid and off the ball.
More downs
With how much pressure Embiid was putting on the Celtics' defense, Maxey had plenty of room to roam free. He made the most of it.
The same goes for VJ Edgecombe, who nailed some huge shots in this game.
Boston just couldn't stop everyone.
The Celtics also just couldn't get over the hump. Every time it felt like Boston was about to make the final push to take the lead late in the fourth, they failed.
A travel. A missed shot. A dagger three by Embiid. Nothing went the Celtics' way, and they couldn't get out of their own.
Pritchard and Brown both had chances to solidify the comeback, but neither converted.