The Boston Celtics have misplaced two consecutive playoff video games to the New York Knicks, making them the primary NBA workforce to blow 20-point leads and lose in back-to-back playoff video games.
Celtics As soon as Once more Disappeared In The Fourth Quarter
After giving up a 20-point Recreation 1 result in the Knicks and dropping in additional time, the Celtics once more blew a giant lead in Wednesday night time’s Recreation 2, lacking photographs in crunch time as New York secured a 91-90 victory.
“Two video games we’re up 20 factors by some means find yourself not with wins is inexcusable,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown stated. “Clearly being down two, it sucks.”
New York overcame a nine-point deficit within the fourth quarter in Recreation 1, then battled again after trailing by 16 factors early within the fourth of Recreation 2.
The Knicks didn’t take their first lead of the sport till there have been 4 minutes remaining. They’ve led for simply 12 minutes complete within the two video games.
It’s wild to me how the Celtics have allowed themselves to die by the three two video games in a row…
Recreation 1: 15-60Game 2: 10-40
Boston has missed 75 3s within the first two video games. SEVENTY FIVE. Whereas blowing a 20-point lead in each video games.
Brutal. pic.twitter.com/quUIxWzuwB
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) Could 8, 2025
Brown turned over the ball on the final possession of Recreation 1, when Knicks wing Mikal Bridges stripped him. Jayson Tatum additionally turned over the ball on the ultimate possession of Recreation 2 — this time Bridges deflected a move after Tatum dribbled right into a double workforce with the clock operating out.
“They made each play. … I assumed we generated some attractiveness after which I assumed we had some live-ball turnovers and so they took benefit of it, so that they made the required performs to win,” stated Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. “We put ourselves in place and we simply didn’t make the performs.”
Boston Set An NBA Playoff Document With 45 Missed 3-Pointers In Recreation 1
Extra importantly, the Celtics missed 14 of their remaining 15 photographs and had been outscored 23-6 during the last 8:30 in Recreation 2. Boston gained 61 video games within the common season — and secured the No. 2 seed within the Japanese Convention — because of their reliance on the lengthy ball.
In the course of the 2024-25 common season, Boston set the single-season report for many 3-pointers tried and made. The Celtics tried 3,955 photographs from past the arc, and so they made 1,457 of these photographs. Each set single-season data.
Nonetheless, in Recreation 1 towards the Knicks, the Celtics set an NBA playoff report with 45 missed 3-pointers of their stunning loss. Boston led by as many as 20 factors earlier than the Knicks began clawing their approach again.
The Celtics have shot a mixed 4-of-26 on 3s within the fourth quarters of Video games 1 and a pair of. The workforce can also be 3-of-20 taking pictures in clutch time, outlined because the final 5 minutes of the sport with the rating inside 5 factors, over the 2 video games.
Tatum and Brown are a mixed 1-of-12 in these moments.
Boston can also be going through an 0-2 sequence deficit for the primary time for the reason that 2023 Japanese Convention finals towards the Miami Warmth. The Celtics began that sequence with three consecutive losses earlier than successful three straight to power Recreation 7, however they had been blown out by a remaining rating of 103-84 on their house court docket.
As well as, the C’s had been down 0-2 of their 2021 Japanese Convention first-round sequence with the Brooklyn Nets. The Celtics had been defeated in 5 video games, marking the primary time they had been eradicated within the first spherical since 2016.
