The Boston Celtics looked like the defending champions until the midway point in the third quarter when facing the Knicks. They led by 20, and then things went wrong. The Knicks went on a 20-9 run to not only cut the deficit but unsettle the Shamrocks. The reigning champions lost the plot of the game, and it was easy to see why. Their second-half collapse was a mess they caused with their own hands. Jaylen Brown is still taking time to process it.
Blowing up such leads hasn’t been a characteristic for the Celtics. They led by 16-20 points 46 times in the regular season. Only once did they end up on the losing side. But tonight, Brown felt like every other Celtics fan at the TD Garden. He was confused by their high usage of threes in the second half.
From the 41 shots they took in the second half, 34 were from beyond the arc. And as the Knicks built momentum, Brown acknowledged the Celtics tried to ‘force and settle’.
“I don’t think it’s hard at all as just being able to recognize it just being poised enough to recognize when to take it, when not to take it. I don’t think we did a good job of that tonight of like seeing the game, understanding the game. It’s just like we was just firing it up um for whatever reason, you know, and we got to find them better in rhythm, get to the paint, get a paint touch, you know, get to the free throw line, then those threes feel a little bit better“ he pointed out.
Feb 28, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) and forward Jayson Tatum (0) stand on the court during a timeout during the second half of their loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
The Celtics did make a grave mistake with their game plan. However, the Knicks deserve some plaudits too. Their defensive intensity interfered with the Celtics’ shooting tactics. Moreover, their stars didn’t falter. Jalen Brunson shocked the TD Garden crowd in the comeback win, scoring 29 points.
OG Anunoby matched the Captain’s tally, going mediocre from beyond the arc and staying active on the defensive end. The Big Apple displayed a big heart and an unbreakable will in their Game 1 win. But the Celtics will feel they did just the opposite to lose a key advantage in this series.
The Celtics have to be better
The Boston Celtics have gone all season relying heavily on their shooting. They have a variety of talented players who enable Mazzulla to play such a style. It’s one of the few teams with great versatility, where all players on the floor can heat up from beyond the arc. But on nights like these, the lead extinguished in front of their eyes. Still, they didn’t make any changes.
When the three-pointers aren’t falling, it feels like the Celtics are stubborn. They tried to nail a point home. It ended up backfiring greatly as the Knicks raced back into the game in no time.
At the end of it all, amidst his uncertainty, Jaylen Brown accepted their inability to deal with the Knicks’ momentum. And if there’s anybody to blame, it’s themselves.
“Yeah, in those moments when other teams got momentum. We can’t just fire up threes you know, to break up momentum. You got to
get to the free throw line, get to the paint, get to the basket, maybe get an easy two, you know what I mean? Hit some free throws, and then maybe the next three-pointer feels a little bit better. Um, I felt like we just settled in the second half,” Brown noted.
As the head coach, Joe Mazzulla took the fall for the result. “Have to have better play calling, have to take better shots, have to make better reads,” he said about the repairs the Celtics need to make. But mostly, he felt their process took a big hit when Kristaps Porzingis was forced out of the game at halftime.
The Latvian center has been dealing with an illness and never returned to play in the second half. “Obviously it affects his game with his ability on both ends of the floor… It‘s no excuse, we had plenty of chances to do it, just got to be better in Game 2,” Mazzulla said of his absence.
And while Porzingis could have surely helped, the Celtics shot themselves in the foot. Their offense became predictable once they began solely hunting for threes rather than mixing things up. Now, they are left with a greater feat to accomplish. Not only will they look to even the series, but getting home advantage back holds great significance against the team that can match their talent.
One thing is clear. If the Celtics want to win, they need to switch up their tactics and play with the same intensity as the first half for the entire game. Because if there’s one thing about the Knicks, is that they won’t yield.
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