Colin Cowherd has a theory about the Boston Celtics, and it's one that might make fans uncomfortable: the team is too predictable, too reliant on a single formula to win games. And in the high-stakes pressure of the playoffs, that formula can be a double-edged sword.

Under head coach Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics have embraced a 3-point-heavy offense. It's been their identity all season, and it's never more apparent than in their first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers. The numbers tell a stark story: in all three losses to the Sixers, Boston shot below 30% from beyond the arc. In all three wins, they hit at least 36%, topping 40% in two of those games.

For Cowherd, that pattern is a red flag. "The Celtics are a great formula more than they are a great team," he said on his show, The Herd. "General manager, schemes, depth, how Brown and Tatum play together... The Celtics are more formula than fantastic."

It's a spicy take, but the stats back him up. Under Mazzulla in the postseason, Boston is 17-1 when shooting 40% or better from three. When they don't hit that mark? They're exactly .500. That kind of dependency is risky in a short series, where a couple of cold shooting nights can send even the deepest roster home early.

In the regular season, this approach works beautifully. The Celtics can plug in different players and still run the same system, which is why they dominated even when Jayson Tatum missed extended time. But in the playoffs, where every possession matters and opponents adjust quickly, the margin for error shrinks dramatically.

Cowherd still expects Boston to win Game 7. But he's clear: if the threes aren't falling, the Celtics will have a hard time advancing. For a team built on a formula, the biggest test is whether they can adapt when that formula breaks down.