Just hours before Game 2 tipped off at TD Garden, Paul Pierce went all-in—betting he’d walk 15 miles if Boston lost Game 2. “If the Celtics lose Game 2 at home… I’m walking here, 15 miles! I’m walking here, in my robe, no shoes on, bare feet… Put the house on this game!… No shot we losing, no chance. You got a better chance at walking out of the studio and seeing a Dinosaur,” he said via FS1’s stream.
Yet Pierce’s bold guarantee unraveled in real time. On Wednesday night, the Knicks stunned Boston with a 91-90 win in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series. It wasn’t just a close loss—it was a gut punch. And Pierce? He took to X, dropping a screenshot of a 22.2-mile walking route alongside a double “” emoji. Pierce may now be shopping for a longer robe.
Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony had already seen it coming—or at least felt it. On a recent podcast episode, Melo broke down Game 1, where the Celtics lost 108-105, but his words eerily lined up with what went down in Game 2 too. “Boston got, you know, they got jabbed last night, man,” Melo said. “They got the game taken away from them last night. They got stuck up. Come on, give us this game.”
He then zeroed in on Boston’s ill-advised shot selection. Pressed on whether those early threes were hubris when they were up by 20, Melo didn’t hold back. “Yeah, that’s how they play. They play like that whether they up 20 or down 20,” he said. And that might just be the Knicks’ secret weapon. “That’s why I’m saying we have to be cognizant of that. Because they’re not gonna miss 45. No. I don’t think so. No. I don’t think so. Right?”
Feb 23, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) drives to the basket while Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) defends during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
And the warning didn’t stop there. Carmelo Anthony added, “And if they even hit a fraction of those threes, if they hit five more of those threes than they hit yesterday, we sitting here talking of a whole another story. If they hit three of those threes, right? So it’s like the game is, it goes back and forth like that.” He wrapped it up confidently: Knicks “should be all right.” And sure enough, New York delivered again in Game 2.
Carmelo Anthony witnessed Celtics shooting and missing 3s
When Carmelo Anthony sat courtside at TD Garden, his face said it all - a mix of disbelief and wry amusement as Boston jacked up 60 threes in Game 1, only to watch 45 of them splash off the rim. In an overtime loss that saw a 20‑point cushion evaporate, Melo’s reaction mirrored every Celtics fan’s horror at each brick. It was a historic meltdown, the most missed triples in a playoff game ever.
Come Wednesday, it was like hitting rewind. Boston ran it back the same way—same big lead, same reckless shooting, same result. Once again, they were up 20 in the second half, and once again, they watched it slip away. Just 10 makes on 40 attempts. Now they’re down 2-0 in the series and headed into the lion’s den—Madison Square Garden—for Games 3 and 4. For a team that set the NBA record this season with 17.8 threes made per game, this variance‑prone slide shows the peril of leaning too hard on volume.
It stings because Boston fully controlled the early game. It wasn’t just blind chucking. Film review and tracking data reveal that 32 of those 60 attempts in Game 1 were “open” (defender 4–6 feet away) and 24 were “wide open” (6+ feet). Normally, Boston hits around 38 percent on open looks, but they converted only 7-of-32 (21.9 percent) and 7-of-24 (29.2 percent) on wide‑open tries, well below their season norms
They were up 24-13 after the first, led by nine at halftime, and had a 20-point cushion with 14 minutes left. When you miss that many good shots, the resulting defensive rebounds and live‑ball turnovers feed the opponent’s run, as the Knicks repeatedly capitalized on the glass and transition. They couldn’t buy a bucket when it mattered, and the Knicks walked away with a 91-90 win.
And yeah, the numbers are brutal. In Game 1, they shot 15-of-60 from deep. In Game 2? Just 10-of-40. That’s 25-of-100 in the series—exactly 25%. For a team that set an NBA record in threes this season, that’s tough. So now the big question: do they keep firing or finally adjust? Because right now, their season is hanging on the answer.
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