Champs Or Chumps? Celtics Have More Than Banner 19 On Line Vs. Knicks
The Boston Celtics had their chance (well, several) in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks, and they blew it.
It came down to the final possession, an opportunity at redemption. Jayson Tatum brought the ball up the floor with 12.7 seconds in the fourth quarter as the Celtics trailed the Knicks, 91-90, and instead of writing a heroic sequel, Tatum hit the rewind button. He turned the ball over to pull the self-destruct trigger and allowed New York’s Jalen Brunson to run out the clock and sprint his way to Madison Square Garden with a 2-0 series lead.
For the second straight time, the Celtics built a 20-point cushion over the Knicks and couldn’t hang on. They became the first 60-win team in NBA history to face a 2-0 series deficit in the semifinals since the 16-team playoffs were introduced in 1983-84, and the collapse was a reminder. Two years ago, the (deflated) lifeguard float Boston would reach for when drowning was its 3-point itch. Live by the three, die by the three, and while those are words to live by, to head coach Joe Mazzulla, it’s a philosophy that could easily kill Boston’s season and title repeat hopes.
Mazzulla’s arrogance has run rampant in the locker room, so much so that the Celtics followed up their historically bad 3-point shootout in Game 1 — they missed a record-45 threes — by doubling down. For Mazzulla’s next trick, Boston went 2-of-11 from the 3-point line and went scoreless for nearly eight minutes in the fourth quarter. Tatum shot 1-of-5 throughout the frame and 5-of-19 on the night, demonstrating an unwillingness to defy the stubbornness that’s got the Celtics on the ropes.
“Throughout the end of that third and then the fourth quarter, I thought we generated some good looks, and then I thought we had some live-ball turnovers,” Mazzulla told reporters after Game 2, per CLNS Media. “And they took advantage of it, so they made the necessary plays to win. We put ourselves in position to do that, and we just didn’t make the plays. … You just take a look at it, figure out where we need to be better and put a full 48 minutes together, and have an understanding that it’s gonna be difficult.”
The way Mazzulla’s crew has attempted to redefine the term “good” or “quality” looks is astounding. When the Golden State Warriors won a record-setting 73 wins behind Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, they attempted 32.4 3-pointers a game in the playoffs — and made 12.8. That was with two of the greatest shooters of all time during their prime. Yet, the 2024-25 Celtics — without a top-15 shooter in 3-point percentage — have attempted 36.6 this postseason, while making only 32.8% of them. That’s the second-worst among teams still alive, ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
When the fourth quarter began and Boston held a 73-61 lead, the Celtics scored just three times inside the paint. The refusal to score in other ways has allowed Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau to run circles around Mazzulla. Whenever Karl-Anthony Towns overcommits on the perimeter, New York doesn’t need to back up its only interior defending threat. Boston has simplified its enemy’s job for them by running the most predictable offensive schemes because the X’s and O’s aren’t Mazzulla’s forte.
Making adjustments and taking accountability are like pulling teeth for the Celtics, and while they haven’t demonstrated an understanding of what’s at stake, Friday night’s Game 3 in New York is bigger than they realize.
Tatum’s legacy and offseason sanity are at risk for a number of reasons. For starters, Tatum’s abandonment of everything that worked in the first round against the Orlando Magic — driving the rim, drawing fouls and getting to the line — has made the 27-year-old a detriment to the Celtics. This hasn’t gone like last postseason, when Tatum would draw double or triple coverage and kick it out to open teammates capable of knocking down a three or getting to the basket. Tatum had the rebuttal to say, “Well, the team’s winning.” But not this time, and it’s only gonna feed the naysayers who sided with Steve Kerr during last summer’s Team USA Olympic drama.
MORE CELTICS
Boston’s $315 million man has made it known that Larry Bird is the bar, the figure of pursuit and the goal Tatum is going after. But scoring 13 points with three turnovers in a potential series-tying game doesn’t align with that, so Game 3 will be a legacy tester for Tatum and where he’ll stand with Celtics greats like Bird.
There’s also the Bill Chisholm factor hovering over the team, following its $6.1 billion sale to a new ownership group ready to begin taking over.
“There’s a possibility this team’s not gonna come back,” NBA insider Brian Windhorst said Wednesday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “No matter what, they might not be able to come back because they’re the most expensive sports team in the history of the game. That’s what’s on the line. This team has proven it’s a championship team. This team has proven it’s a 60-win team this year. This team might win the championship again this year. But if they don’t get out of this series, I don’t know how you can justify spending $500 million on the roster again, I’ll tell you that.”
Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Sam Hauser are among the candidates who could bid farewell from Boston this offseason. Currently, they’re members of the most talented team Tatum and Jaylen Brown have ever been a part of across their eight-year run as teammates. That’s rare. Even though the Celtics have done a tremendous job of building competitive rosters before Tatum and Brown established themselves as All-Stars, today’s Celtics team has a chance to reach heights most players don’t or ever will.
If they’re wise, they’ll wake up and their urgency will reflect that in Game 3.