The TD Garden is a fortress. A team makes the headlines for winning a game there. But winning two? In a row? Unprecedented, right? Well despite going pointless in their first nine possessions in Game 2, the Knicks set an ugly record for the Jayson Tatum and Co., which will be a thorn in their side for years to come. But how did that happen? There’s no way the champions would ever fold like that- they really haven’t looked like themselves this series. And Joe Mazzulla will be the first to make the best out of a bad situation.
The Celtics are the first team in the 29 years of the play-by-play era to lose multiple playoff games it led by at least 20 points. Even their 18 championship banners won’t be able to get them out of that one. For arguably the best three-point shooters in the game, they were restricted to just 25% in that dreadful Game 2. They even went on a harrowing 0-for-20 run from the field in the last quarter, in which they blew a 20-point lead to lose the game 91-90.
Coach Mazzulla accepted full responsibility for this, while giving the Knicks full credit. “I mean, you got to give them credit. They’re a well-coached, good team. So, yeah, I mean, I think it’s both. I think it’s on us.” But at the same time- it was the players on the wood. And they need to see just how bad they were. According to Austin Rivers, Mazzulla will be the first to scrap off a practice session to review the film, and see where it went wrong.
Jan 12, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla reacts during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Joe Mazzulla today- there’s no practice. All right. We’re going to put that video on and we’re going to watch some f—–g film. And we’re going to watch a couple minutes of both games in the first half and how we were playing. And then we’re going to watch the entirety of these runs- the second half, especially the fourth quarter. We’re go by each shot and judge- is this our basketball? Are we doing the best clock management? This is for the coach too, everybody. It was abysmal,” said Rivers on his podcast, Off-Guard.
Jayson Tatum was arguably the talk of the town. And it speaks volumes when you see his numbers. But the numbers won’t spare him any blushes. And surprisingly, it was a moment of hesitation deep in the game that made him the talk of this imaginary town. A little uncharacteristic, no?
Jayson Tatum’s moment of panic costed Celtics the game
JT ended the night with a 13-14 double-double. Impressive, right? The Green Mamba is a double-double machine- he did it in the first game too. But then came the moment of panic in the last 5 seconds of the game, in which a moment of impulse saw Mikal Bridges steal the ball off him, in which could’ve been the game-decider. Rivers took this as the opportunity to reflect on the lean Green hero, speaking of how uncharacteristc it was.
“He had Mitchell Robinson on him, a center, who was already like sporadic, because he’s not used to being in that situation. And he just like panicked and like dribbled all the way around and got to a corner and then didn’t know if he wanted, I was like, where does he go… If he wants to say he lost the ball, you want him to like back out, like I got five. That’s a lot of time. Five is like, bro five seconds feels like an eternity at end of the game. You could get to a couple moves, step back, you get anywhere you want to go. Just like relax. But he like panicked. So it’s just like, I watched that move, I’m like goddamn JT. I’ve seen you close, how many game winners have I seen you hit this year,” said Rivers on Tatum on the podcast.
Mar 14, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts against the Miami Heat during the third quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Going from 45.2% from the field and 34.3% from the 3pt line to 5-for-19 from the field and 1-for-5 from deep is truly uncharacteristic. But it’s not the end of the world. First, it starts with accountability. And we’re already there, when he said “I take full ownership for the way that I’ve played in this series. Can’t sugar coat anything. I need to be better. And I expect to be a lot better.” Now, it’s up to him to show the critics what he’s made of, and do only what the Green Mamba can do.
No one’s counting out the Celtics right now. Joe Mazzulla’s group of champions has the maturity to reflect, and watch the films to find areas to improve in. And a lot of that lies on Jayson Tatum. Do you think we’ll see a vintage Green Mamba performance at the Garden on Saturday?
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