It’s no secret that the Boston Celtics played with their food and plotted their downfall in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks.
Boston’s self-sabotage was more predictable than Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla’s postgame defense. The arcade-style 3-point frenzy was elementary for the Knicks, who ranked 13th in defensive rating (113.3) in the regular season, to stop. Every possession was a copy-and-paste of the last, only they got uglier, less warranted and more costly all at the same time, and as a result, New York took a 1-0 series lead.
In the final Celtics possession of regulation, Jayson Tatum proved the team hadn’t learned its lesson as the six-time All-Star fired an unnecessary step-back three to send the battle into overtime. Boston met its fate in the form of a 108-105 loss from there.
“I know that we will be better moving forward,” Celtics center Al Horford told reporters Tuesday, per CLNS Media.
Horford continued: “At this point, for us, we have to make sure we protect home. We weren’t able to do it in the first game. Now with the second game, we have a great opportunity in front of us. So for us, it’s to come out and whatever we need to do to make sure that we’re able to win a game here (on Wednesday night).”
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The Celtics didn’t experience losing at home to the Orlando Magic during their first-round clash. However, the 3-point drought was a major factor and it forced Mazzulla to get creative and adapt — something Boston chose not to do. The Celtics became the first team in NBA history to fire away 60 threes in a playoff game, although they only made 15. That’s an unheard-of level of inefficiency birthed from a game plan that takes zero thought and has historically harmed the team under the Tatum and Jaylen Brown era.
Even without Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics managed to build a 20-point cushion over the Knicks in the third quarter before completely switching up their scheme. Tatum drove less and settled more and the offense generated fewer trips to the free-throw line because every drive was a lousy hunt for a 3-point kick-out. It was the worst of what Mazzulla-ball can be, and regardless of how high a quality the team feels their 45 missed 3-point looks were, the scoreboard doesn’t reward a subjective talking point.
Hoford ensured that the team needs no reminders of their mission moving forward.
“We all understand the opportunity that we have in front of us going into Game 2 and understanding that we’re here at home,” Horford said. “And we understand that we have to be better — plainly. That’s just the way it is. And I expect our group to respond and to be better for (Game 2).”
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Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the rest of New York’s made it known that Boston’s 4-0 regular-season series sweep meant nothing. The Celtics can’t expect the Knicks to accept an elimination lying down, otherwise, they’ll end up having the rug pulled out from underneath them again. Brunson and Towns have endured the pain of falling short for years, and once Boston cracked open the window of opportunity, they rushed toward it and treated Game 1 as if it were Game 7.
That’s the kind of competitive integrity the Celtics lacked and need on Wednesday night.
Regardless of who’s healthy and ready to go for Boston, a revised game plan for the Celtics will need to be prepped and brought to life from tip-off to the final buzzer.
