BOSTON — Long after the Celtics blew a second 20-point lead in as many games of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the New York Knicks, Jaylen Brown sat silently at his locker, staring straight ahead. In front of him, as it is in all of their lockers, was a quote from, of all people, Phil Jackson.
“You’re only a success at the moment you perform a successful act. You have to do it again.”
There is no better descriptor for what the NBA’s defending champions face following a 91-90 loss in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series. The Celtics trail 0-2. Both were heartbreaking losses. And they are headed on the road for Saturday’s Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, all but lost themselves.
These Knicks are not impressed with Boston’s previous success. Nor will they give the Celtics anything.
As Boston’s Kristaps Porziņģis said, “Nobody feels sorry for us.”
In fact, the Knicks may take everything from these Celtics. They did in Game 2, as they did in Game 1, storming back from a 20-point, third-quarter deficit. It looked the same, though it didn’t feel the same. This was not Monday, when the Celtics settled for too many 3-pointers and got too comfortable with their advantage. They were uncomfortable with Wednesday’s lead, hesitant to take those same shots.
“We just didn’t execute,” said Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla.
Never was that clearer than the final possession. After Jalen Brunson’s two free throws gave the Knicks their 91-90 edge, Boston had 12.7 seconds to play for the win. Mazzulla did not call a timeout. Instead, the Celtics ran the same play they had on their previous possession, one that freed Jayson Tatum for a go-ahead dunk, but this time he was bottled up — first by Mitchell Robinson, then by OG Anunoby and finally by Mikal Bridges, who, as he did in Game 1, sealed the win with a steal. Tatum never got his shot.
Nor did he get to explain himself after the game, as a fire alarm evacuated TD Garden at 10:30 p.m., just as he was set to begin his press availability. It was a fitting end to two miserable shooting performances for all of the Celtics — but especially Tatum, who scored 13 points on 19 shots. It should have been 20.
“I thought he had a good look at an angle,” said Mazzulla. “Didn’t shoot it, so he ran out of time.”
The game was lost well before that moment. The Celtics took a 73-53 advantage with 3:12 remaining in the third quarter. They had a 99% win probability. The Knicks had not led for a second. Then the Celtics got tight, or “antsy,” as Brown said. They turned the ball over on four of their next five possessions, as New York closed the quarter on an 8-0 run. Again they had gifted New York a more manageable deficit.
And again the Knicks seized their opportunity. Bridges, who started the game 0-for-8 from the field, caught fire, scoring 14 points over the final 12 minutes, including seven straight that cut Boston’s lead to 84-77 midway through the fourth quarter. Moments later Brunson buried a 3 that silenced the crowd. Everyone in the building could sense what the Celtics must have felt. This can’t be happening. Again.
As Porziņģis said, “At the end it’s almost a gamble if the game is that close.” It is not so much a gamble as it is roulette against the Knicks, especially when Brunson, arguably the game’s greatest closer, is dealing.
Tatum had as wide-open a look as he has had all series in the right corner — one that would have given the Celtics an 89-80 lead with 3:39 left — and he landed it long. Instead New York’s Josh Hart’s floater cut Boston’s advantage to 86-82, and Karl-Anthony Towns’ three-point play cut it to one a minute later.
You could practically hear the puckering from the 19,156 fans in attendance at once. If anyone did not feel the pressure it was Brunson, the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year, who had struggled for much of the night, mostly guarded by Jrue Holiday. He made a ridiculous 18-foot fadeaway jumper to give the Knicks their first lead of the night, 87-86, and his transition layup pushed the lead to three with 57 seconds left.
Four straight points from Tatum, including a driving dunk, gave Boston the lead back, 90-89, only for Brunson to strike again, drawing a shooting foul 15 feet from the basket. He, of course, made both.
“It’s all about just focusing, having a clear mind and trying to win the game,” he said. “That’s my mindset.”
Now the Celtics must answer this call. They have been here before — and fell down 0-3 to the Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals. They lost that series in seven games. Except they have not been here before, blowing consecutive 20-point leads. How does anyone respond to that mentally?
“In a way, it kind of takes all the pressure off of us,” said Porziņģis, projecting confidence. “I don’t know, if you check the odds, maybe the Knicks are the favorites now to win. Who knows? We were expected to win, so for us to be in this hole right now — with our backs against the wall, we have nothing to lose.”
The odds are even, per BetMGM. But to Porziņģis’ point, for all the terrible vibes of the collapse, there was a sense of calm among Celtics staffers and family members in the immediate aftermath of a second stunning defeat. There were murmurs of “twists and turns” and, “It’s a seven-game series for a reason.”
Then there was Brown, staring at his locker, soaking in the emotion. What was going through his head?
“What’s done is done,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure we’re ready to come out for Game 3. I think we’re due for a lot of makes. I think we had a lot of great shots tonight that didn’t go in. We’ve just got to relax, take a deep breath and play Celtics basketball. Just like we’re down 0-2, we can tie this thing back up.”
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