With the Celtics facing a virtually insurmountable 0-3 deficit in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, they finally played like the Celtics for a full game. They gave themselves life in the series and brought themselves to within 1 game of the Knicks, who hold a 2-1 series lead after Game 3. They will look to even the series at 2 games each in Game 4.
The Celtics held a 20 point lead in both Games 1 and 2 at home. In both games they lost that 20 point lead and allowed the Knicks to steal the games. They lost 108-105 in overtime in Game 1 and 91-90 in the final seconds of Game 2. In Game 3, they opened up a 31 point lead at one point and held on for a 115-93 win.
The Celtics shooting was the biggest problem for them in Games 1 and 2. They shot 24.2% on open shots, which are shots that are taken at least 4 feet from the nearest defender. They were 4-36 on shots outside of 5 feet from the basket in the fourth quarter. They missed 25 of 45 layups in the first 2 games.
Game 3 was completely different. They started out by hitting their first 4 threes and never looked back. They led by 25 at the half and went up by 31 points before winning by 22 points. The Celtics shot 48.2% from the field and they shot 50% from beyond the arc. Hopefully they will still hit their 3’s in this game. They are 23-3 this season when they hit 20+ threes and they are 53-6 under Joe Mazzulla when hitting at least 20 threes in a game.
In NBA history, there have been 463 teams that have held a 2-0 lead in a playoff series. Of those teams 429 teams went on to win the series after being up 2 games to none. 34 teams have come back from being down 0-2 to win the series. However, only 5 teams have won a series after losing the first 2 games at home. This includes the 2017 Celtics, who won the series after going down 0-2 at home to the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics took a big step toward winning the series by winning Game 3
These two teams have met in the playoffs 15 times with the Celtics winning 8 of those series and the Knicks winning 7 of those series. They first met in the playoffs in 1951 when the Knicks won the series 2-0. This is the first time they are meeting in the playoffs since 2013, Pierce and Garnett’s last season with the Celtics. It is the first time since 1984 that they are meeting past the first round. The Celtics went on to win the championship in that season.
Both teams entered Game 1 with a clean injury report. That didn’t last long as after playing just 13 minutes, Kristaps Porzingis left the game with an illness and did not return to the game in the 2nd half. This illness is connected to the respiratory illness that kept him out for 11 games in February and March. He played in Games 2 and 3, but came off the bench and struggled but he had 3 blocks and 4 rebounds in Game 3.
Sam Hauser played just under 4 minutes in Game 1 before injuring his ankle during a foul on an OG Anunoby three pointer. He limped off the court and did not return after suffering a sprained right ankle. He missed Games 2 and 3, and he is questionable for this game. His final status will be a game time decision.
The Knicks are still showing a clean injury report. However, Karl Anthony Towns appeared to suffer a finger injury on his left hand during Game 3 and it looked as though he said that he broke it. He was seen holding the hand several times during the game. He was a full participant in Sunday’s practice and is expected to play in this game.
Coach Mazzulla played just 8 players in Game 2. In Game 3, he also went with 8 players until he emptied the bench with just over 2 minutes to go in the game. There’s no guarantee that Hauser would get minutes, even if he is cleared to play. Horford started the last 2 games with Porzingis coming off the bench. I’m going to guess that Horford will once again start in this game.
Probable Celtics Starters
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PG: Jrue HolidaySG: Derrick WhiteSF: Jaylen BrownPF: Jayson TatumC: Al Horford
Celtics ReservesPayton PritchardNeemias QuetaBaylor ScheiermanJordan WalshLuke KornetTorrey CraigXavier Tillman, SrJD DavisonKristaps Porzingis
2 Way PlayersDrew PetersonMiles Norris
Injuries/OutSam Hauser (ankle) questionable
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable Knicks Starters
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PG: Jalen BrunsonSG: Mikal BridgesSF: Josh HartPF: OG AnunobyC: Karl-Anthony Towns
Knicks ReservesDelon WrightCameron PayneMiles McBridePacome DadietPrecious AzhiuwaTyler KolekPJ TuckerMitchell RobinsonLandry ShametAriel Hukporti
2 Way PlayersMarJon BeauchampKevin McCullar, JrAnton Watson
Injuries/Out None Listed
Head Coach Tom Thibodeau
Key Matchups
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Jrue Holiday
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images
Jalen Brunson
Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images
Jrue Holiday vs Jalen BrunsonIn Round 1, Brunson averaged 31.5 points, 4 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. He shot 43.6% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. In Game 1, he finished with 29 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 39.1% from the field and 55.6% from beyond the arc. In Game 2, Brunson finished with 17 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists while shooting 31.6% from the field and 22.2% from beyond the arc. In Game 3, he finished with 27 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 42.9% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc.
Grid View
Jayson Tatum
Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
Josh Hart
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Jayson Tatum vs Josh HartIn Game 1, Hart finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, while shooting 55.6% from the field and 20% from beyond the arc. In Game 2, Hart finished with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks while shooting 60% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. In Game 3, Hart finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks while shooting 33.3% from the field and going 0-3 on threes.
Honorable MentionAl Horford vs Karl-Anthony Towns Towns gives the Knicks a strong presence in the paint along with the ability to spread the floor. In Game 1, Towns struggled with foul trouble but still finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 1 steal. He shot 46.2% from the field but was just 0-1 on threes. In Game 2, he finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block while shooting 56.3% from the field and 0-1 on threes. In Game 3, he finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 27.8% from the field and 20% on threes.
Keys to the GameDefense – Defense is the key to winning every game. Defense is important in the regular season, but even more so in the playoffs. In the playoffs so far, Boston has a defensive rating of 102.8 (2nd) while New York has a defensive rating of 109.2 (5th). Defense was a big reason for the Celtics win in Game 3. They held the Knicks to 20% from beyond the arc and just 40% from the field. The Knicks had 48 points in the paint but it took them 48 shots. The Celtics need to play that kind of defense in this game also.
Rebound – The Celtics can’t score if they don’t have the ball, and the best way to get the ball is to grab rebounds. The Celtics need to rebound as a team with every Celtic battling on the boards. So far in the playoffs, the Celtics are 2nd with 45.4 rebounds per game while the Knicks are 10th with 42 rebounds per game. The Celtics are 44-10 when tied or out-rebounding their opponents. The Celtics out-rebounded the Knicks 59-49 in Game 1 and 51-46 in Game 2 and that may be the only reason that they were so close even though they shot so poorly. In Game 3, the Knicks out-rebounded the Celtics 43-42. The Celtics need to put out extra effort on the boards in this one in order to win the game.
Focus and Mental Toughness – The Celtics missed 45 of 60 threes in Game 1 and they missed 30 of 40 in Game 2. In Game 3, they made 20 of 40. Much of their shooting has to be focus and a mental lapse. They need to take their time and focus on making their shots. They have also missed 25 of 45 layups and that has to be focus as well. They have played well enough to build 20 point leads in the first 2 games and then have lost focus and effort and have allowed the Knicks to come back and win. they finally put together a full game. The Celtics just need to keep the same focus and mental toughness for 48 minutes that they had in Game 3.
Everyone Plays Well – In Game 3, the Celtics had 34 points off the bench. Payton Pritchard led the Celtics in points with 23. The Knicks had just 21 points off their bench. Also in Game 3, the Celtics got 48 points from the other 3 starters beyond Tatum and Brown. The Knicks got just 24 points from the 3 starters beyond Brunson and Towns. The Celtics need for everyone to show up in this game once again.
X-FactorsOn the Road – The Celtics are playing on the road, where they played better in the regular season than they did at home with a 33-8 record on the road. They need to overcome the distractions of playing on the road and in front of a hostile crowd and stay focused on playing the right way. They have to come out playing hard right from the beginning as they did in Game 3 to keep the Knicks’ crowd from getting into the game.
Injuries – After entering the series with a clean injury report, the Celtics have had to deal with injuries since Game 1 of the series. Kristaps Porzingis has struggled in limited minutes due to a recurrence of the respiratory illness that kept him out of 11 games late in the season. Sam Hauser, who struggled through most of the first round played just under 4 minutes before leaving with a sprained ankle. Tatum and Brown may still be dealing with injuries from the first round due to their struggles in this series. Karl Anthony Towns injured his finger in Game 3 and may be somewhat hampered by it in this game.
Officiating – Officiating always has the potential to be an x-factor. Each officiating crew calls the game differently. Some refs call it tight and constantly call fouls while others let them play with few fouls called. Some refs just make terrible head-scratching calls. The Celtics will be on the road and so they can expect the Knicks to get a favorable whistle in their arena. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus.
Official Report Crew Chief – Scott Foster – Every single fan base groans when they see Scott Foster as a referee. He is known as the Extender because most fans believe he is put into a series to achieve the league’s desired outcome and extend a series to more games. He can be good or very bad depending on his agenda. His home win/loss record this season is 24-25. He calls 51.2% of calls on the road team. The Celtics are 3-2 this season and 11-3 over the last 2 years with Foster as a ref. The Knicks are 5-1 this season and 11-3 over the past 2 seasons with Foster. In the anonymous player poll from last season 6.1% of the players named Foster as one of the best refs and 25.4% of the players named him as the worst ref. This is the Celtics first game in these playoffs with Foster.
Referee – James Williams – Williams has a home win/loss record this season of 38-32. He calls 50.2% of fouls on the road team. The Celtics are 4-1 this year and 10-5 over the past 2 seasons with Williams calling the games. The Knicks are 1-2 this season and 6-5 over the past 2 seasons with /Williams. 3% of the players in the anonymous survey voted Williams one of the best referees. He called Game 2 vs Orlando in the first round.
Umpire – Mitchell Ervin – Ervin has a home win/loss record this season of 40-29. He calls 50.2% of fouls against the road team. The Celtics are 6-0 this season and 11-2 over the past 2 seasons with Ervin as a referee. The Knicks are 3-3 this season and 6-5 over the past 2 seasons with Ervin. He called Game 1 vs Orlando in the first round.
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