Not So Lucky: Boston down 0-2 on the way to MSG
- Giuseppe Lorenzo
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
🍀Celtics Collapse in Game 2🍀
The New York Knick's find themselves in a great spot this playoffs - a 2-0 lead over the Boston Celtics.
The Knicks and Celtics head back to MSG on Saturday but lets focus on what happened Wednesday Night. That night the Knicks overcame a 20 point deficit in Boston, meaning the Joe Mazzulla and Jayson Tatum led Celtic's have officially proven they can't close games out. Once is fine but failing to close out back to back games means that you are not only beatable but undisciplined.
How did this happen?
How? The simple fact of the matter is, the offense became too complacent. In the first half they had 17 assists on 21 FG's, but in the 2nd half that all went away and they shot just 38.6%. In total they scored just 29 2nd half points.
What the Knicks were able to do in the 2nd half that was different from the 1st is force turnovers. They forced 7 in the 4th quarter, many of which were due to Celtics players just being lazy. The Knicks are no cake walk. They have one of the most well-rounded teams in recent years, and Coach Thibs, who can make adjustments at any given moment. These adjustments came in the form of slowing the tempo and letting Brunson handle the ball. He targeted both Hauser and Pritchard making them virtually ineffective.
Knicks role players step up in crunch time:
Isaiah Hartenstein: Outplayed Kristaps Porzingis in the paint, grabbing 14 rebounds (6 offensive) giving the Knicks plenty of 2nd chance opportunities.
Josh Hart: Posted a double-double of 16 points and 10 boards. His hustle on to the glass helped set the tone in the second half.
Mile McBride: Scored 11 points in the third quarter to give the Knicks the jolt they needed.
Knicks fans looking forward to Saturday:
The series shifts to Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks will try to put take advantage of home court and go up 3-0 on the series. The Celtics, meanwhile, face a must-win game — not statistically, but psychologically. No team wants to go down 3–0, especially not a No. 1 seed with a $180 million payroll.
“We let it slip,” Boston's star player, Tatum said postgame. “That one’s on us. But the series isn’t over.”
If they don’t find answers it may just might be.
