The Boston Celtics live and die by the three. That’s mostly been a sound strategy for the team this season. The Celtics won 61 games in the regular season — and secured the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference — thanks to their reliance on the long ball.
But what happens when the Celtics’ three-point shooting goes cold? The team found out Monday night.
The Celtics set an NBA playoff record with 45 missed three pointers in their shocking Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks. Boston led by as many as 20 points before the Knicks started clawing their way back.
The Celtics’ response to the Knicks’ run? Keep chucking up threes.
The strategy didn’t work this time. Boston went 10-for-37 on three pointers in the second half and overtime, setting the stage for the Knicks to pull out the 108-105 win.
Every member of the Celtics who pulled up from beyond the arc was responsible for the team’s record-setting night. Here’s how each member of the Celtics shot from three-point range in the loss:
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Payton Pritchard, 2-for-5
Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet were the only members of the Celtics who played, but did not attempt a three-point shot.
It was a forgettable night, though that probably won’t deter the Celtics in Game 2. Boston set the single-season record for most three pointers attempted — and made — during the 2024-25 NBA season. The Celtics shot an incredible 3,955 threes in the regular season. They made 1,457 of those shots. Both set single-season records.
Given how well that approach worked in the regular season, expect the Celtics to continue to employ the three-point shot the rest of the way. Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla hinted at as much, saying, “I thought for the most part we fought for good looks throughout the game.”
Brown and Tatum offered more measured responses, saying they felt some shots were forced, or that they should have driven the lane more in the loss.
But it was Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns who summed up the Celtics’ situation best, saying, “Some [missed] shots were lucky. They missed some threes I think we all know they make.”
With better luck from beyond the arc in Game 1, Boston might have run away with the game. The team will undoubtedly keep firing from three-point range the rest of the series, and it will be up to the Knicks to figure out how to hang with Boston once those shots start to fall.
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