The Celtics Went Into MSG And Ripped Out The Knicks Hearts While Also Making More NBA History In The Process

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In what many consider to be an eventual 2nd Round playoff matchup, things haven't exactly gone all that well for the Knicks when it comes to playing this version of the Boston Celtics. Since the start of the 2023-24 season, the Celts are now 8-1 against the Knicks, with the only loss coming on April 11th last season. This year, all three of the previous meetings were one sided blowouts, and it became clear that the roster that we were told ahead of the season was constructed to beat the Celts somehow has a pretty tough time actually beating them.

Who knows, maybe things change in a potential series, but based on the evidence we have to work with at this moment, there are no signs that the Knicks have the ability to consistently solve their Boston Celtics problem. Look, they aren't alone here. Plenty of teams face this same challenge. It's why the Celts are the defending Champs and why they just put together one of the best title defense seasons in NBA history (fact, not opinion). They are a matchup nightmare. As good as the Knicks are, they simply have a roster problem when it comes to this matchup. Their "wing stoppers" can't stop the wings, their point of attack defense can be attacked, and at no point do they ever have the best player on the floor. 

Even in a game like this, with the Knicks fully healthy, the Celts without Al Horford combined with Jaylen Brown giving them nothing and the whole team shooting like dogshit for the entire first half, it didn't matter. All it took was 90 seconds of serious basketball to open the 3rd quarter, and the game completely flipped. This was a game the Knicks clearly wanted badly, if for nothing else but their own psyche. Sure you may have lost 3 of 4, but a final win could help give you confidence should these teams meet in the playoffs.

So what did the Champs do? They broke that confidence. Again. The best road team on Earth did what the best road team on Earth does. They found a way to win. 

9 straight on the road and 17 of their last 18, we're watching something truly historic unfold right before our eyes

And in some ways, this result should be surprising, even with the game coming at MSG. Fun fact, the Celtics legitimately own MSG and have for some time now

A .686 winning percentage at MSG and a .653 winning percentage at their own Garden since 2001. Not sure if you were aware, but it's currently 2025. That's over two decades of belt to ass in their own building. I'd hate the Celtics and Jayson Tatum too if that were the case.

While these games literally mean nothing for the Celts considering they are locked into the 2 seed, never underestimate the power of psychological warfare. If this was supposed to serve as a "playoff test", I'd say this was like when you don't study for a test, struggle for parts of it, but in the end you pull out a passing grade out of your asshole. We've all been there at some point in our lives, and it did feel like the Celts treated this as their last "dress rehearsal" before the playoffs start, so to see them walk away with a win like this is exactly what the doctor ordered. 

We'll see if these two teams match up again in a few weeks, but before we start thinking about a playoff series, let's first go through what we saw last night.

The Good

- Trying to decide who starts us off with the coveted top spot in the blog today was easily one of the toughest decisions I've ever had to make in my entire life. It's sort of how I imagine trying to pick your favorite kid is like. We had two candidates from this game, both with legitimate and compelling cases. Both were extremely important to the win, both had HUGE moments, and both were dominant.

So how do you choose? Well luckily, I'm a professional. I do this for a living. After going over the numbers, the tape, and my heart, we have to begin with Jayson Tatum.

A few games ago after another 30/8/6 type performance, I talked about how we have now entered a world where that production is the new baseline for Jayson Tatum. For the majority of the NBA, a night like this would be an outlier. For Jayson Tatum, this is his standard. It's not just the 32/7/5 which he now seems to do in his sleep, but he was also efficient, finishing 11-22 (4-11) from the floor. That production on 50/36% splits? I'll take that every day of the week and twice on Sundays thank you very much.

When the team needed Tatum the most, he delivered. In the 4th quarter, Tatum led all scorers with 12 points on 4-5 (2-3) shooting. He played 29 straight minutes in the second half including OT. In the biggest moments, he once again came through. Despite this completely made up narrative that Jayson Tatum "isn't clutch", here on planet Earth the reality is actually the exact opposite.

Not only is Jayson Tatum clutch. He's the best late game shot maker in the entire NBA since he entered the league. 

I'm sorry if this upsets people, but the numbers are the numbers. As much as you may want to try and push a fake narrative because you're upset Jayson Tatum keeps burying your favorite team, the proof is in the pudding. We are watching a generational talent do what generational talents do. Dominate. Rip hearts out on the road. And most importantly, win.

I went with Tatum in this top spot because once it was clear Jaylen wasn't going to be a factor, the pressure for Tatum to produce in an efficient manner became even more important. His shot at the end of the 4th technically saved them from what would have been a rather annoying loss given the Celts were up 7 with about 2 minutes left, and given all the attention he commands defensively, to still have this type of production is something I find to be extremely impressive. 

It was also noticeable how Tatum utilized his midrange jumper probably more in this game than any other game all year. That was surprising considering that's a shot that Tatum generally really struggles with, and you're lucky if he shoots 36% from that zone. Meanwhile, in this game, he killed Bridges with it. He pulled it out while attacking KAT who was in drop coming off P&R rather than go all the way to the rim. He's starting to shoot that shot with more confidence as of late, and as long as he doesn't go overboard with it considering it's not the best look for him, I love the addition to his arsenal. This doesn't mean he should trade all his 3s for midrange jumpers, but it's a nice tool to have, should you need to break it out on any given possession.  

- Then of course, there was the unicorn. If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. A healthy Kristaps Porzingis is the ultimate cheat code. The version of KP we've been getting when he's healthy this year is something that makes the Celtics virtually impossible to beat once, let alone 4 out of 7 times. There's simply nothing you can do when this dude is locked in and firing on all cylinders

I mean, what are you supposed to do with this????????

You may be saying to yourself, "that's a bad shot", and maybe that's true for whatever team you root for, but here? With this roster and this team? That's a layup. Tatum also had a pull up 3PM from the logo, and unless you come out and guard this team from 30-35ft, they are going to take and make these bombs right in your eyeball. Then, if you do manage to bring your defender out that far, congratulations you just opened up driving lanes for 5 guys who can all put the ball on the floor and attack the rim, so thank you.

It's a lose/lose situation for opposing defenses, which is the genius of Brad Stevens' brain in combination with Mazzulla Ball. There are no right answers, only death.

There are a lot of great things about KP as a Celtic, but somewhere high on the list is how he continues to absolutely torment the Knicks and that fanbase every time he plays NYK, especially at MSG. I just know Knicks fans are sick to their stomach watching him dominate both ends of the floor like this and bury 30fter after 30fter. Whether it was that half court bomb or his GIGANTIC 3PM down the stretch in OT, the Knicks have zero answers for this matchup problem. Zero. 

If you're keeping track at home, we've now learned that the Knicks can't guard the wings, and they can't guard the 7'3 unicorn. If your goal is to beat the Celtics, that's not exactly how I would go about it, but that's just me.

Another guy whose production became even more important with Jaylen's issues, KP responded about as well as humanly possible. A solid 11-19 (8-13) from the floor, solid rim protection/defense, I guess my only real complaint is the fact that he only finished with 4 rebounds, but whatever. He did everything else. 

We're so close to the playoffs, I'm inching closer and closer to shut it down season for KP. He's shown enough. This is the version we need to see in a few weeks, so rest up and we'll see you in Round 1. 

- If you still find yourself questioning Mazzulla Ball, I'm not sure why, but last night was another example of why you can't fight math.

The Knicks dominated the shot margin in this game 101-87. They made more FGM (48 vs 40) and shot better from the floor (47,5% vs 46%), yet they still lost. Why?

Math.

Celts finished 19-49 from deep, whereas the Knicks only managed 11-38. They got Mazzulla Ball'd. Plain and simple. 

In the first half, it was clear the Celts were able to generate whatever clean looks they wanted, and nothing really changed in the second half other than those wide open looks finally went in. It's why you should never be of the mind that the Celts should stop taking 3PA even if they're shooting 27% or some shit. As long as the process is good and they are generating good looks, THAT is what matters. Water will always find its level, and once it does, good fucking luck.

- I'm just telling you now, put a pin in how Jrue Holiday has been playing over his last 10 games or so. A solid 12/5/5 on solid shooting splits, he's playing what I would consider to be his best overall basketball of his entire season as we get ready for the postseason

Nothing flashy, just solid. The role for Jrue Holiday is simple. Make your open 3s, play good defense, and take care of the ball. That's it. That's really all I need from Jrue, and it's exactly what he's been giving us these last few weeks. For the many of us who were maybe slightly concerned with his regression this season, it does feel like he was coasting during the year, which is a relief. This is more along the lines of the version we saw last season, especially when it comes to his outside shooting from the corners. He's been living at a solid 40%+ from that zone for a month now, and that's going to be a massive shot for this team during the playoffs.

We're also getting fewer CTE moments from Holiday, which tells me he's locking in, and honestly,y I haven't even really thought about his Mallet Finger. He's been so good and so consistent during this stretch that you can barely tell anything happened. 

Aside from his scoring output, I also loved how Jrue found ways to win his defensive battles against KAT post ups all without help. Given he's a point guard, that was insane to watch, but it speaks to a core principle of what makes the Celts defense so tough. They don't have to double. They are perfectly fine letting their defenders battle with no help, especially someone like Jrue. Not rotating makes things even tougher for opposing offenses, and the fact that there are zero places for you to attack is what separate this team from a lot of other contenders. There's no weak link, even in the instances where a big gets switched onto a guard. That's not normal.

- Maybe it's just me, but it feels like every single Derrick White 4th quarter 3PM is beyond massive. None of them ever touch the rim, they are as pure as pure gets, and they all come in gigantic moments to serve as the ultimate spirit breaker. The reaction of the crowd every time he buries a 4th quarter three is intoxicating since you can feel their souls leave their bodies. It's tremendous

Even if his overall shooting wasn't great, flirting with a triple double and making big time late game shots more than made up for it. I'm even willing to overlook his disastrous turnovers (more on this in a bit) because at the end of the day, he too came through when the team needed him most. 

The Stock Exchange is starting to round into form, and as we know if this version of the Celts get good guard play, they essentially never lose.

The Bad

- Of course, it wasn't perfect. In fact, far from it. For starters, this was easily the worst Jaylen has looked since his injury, and frankly I don't know what to make of it. He looked fine against dogshit defenses, and during those games I was relieved, but also was curious to see how he looked against a team with a pulse.

The result? Not great. In fact, very bad. To the point where it was a 4 vs 5 situation when he was on the floor, which is concerning. I think what it told us was there are two sides of the coin when it comes to this injury. There will be times he looks fine like against PHX/WSH, but then other times like last night where he barely looked playable. 

I'm not even talking about the actual production, which was dogshit. I'm more talking about how he looked while on the floor. Slow, not aggressive, not really playing with force, no real lateral movement etc. It was the first time he truly looked cooked, and who knows if rest will even fix anything. He doesn't seem to think so, but I'm also of the thought that it can't hurt to try. Sometimes guys have bad nights, shit happens, that's fine. But it goes without saying that if the Celts are going to make a run, they need a better version of Jaylen on the floor. How we get that version is the million dollar question.

Is it rest? Is it actually continuing to play so they can figure out how to manage it? I see both sides. If it's never going away, then they have to figure out how to be successful with this version, and considering he's going to need to play 35+ minutes in the playoffs, I'd prefer him not go to into the postseason without a plan on how to play those minutes. At the same time, rest never made things worse, and the last thing we need is something happening in games that do not matter. 

- I am nothing if not fair. Tatum missing that FT in the final second stung. Thankfully he immediately made up for it, but we can't be doing that shit. You were gifted those 3 FTAs to save the game, you have to go 3-3 in that spot. 

- Hauser was a bit more playable, but this was another game against a playoff opponent where you could make the case that Pritchard and Hauser still weren't quite good enough. Pritchard especially, was a -10 in his 29 minutes which remains a concern as we enter the playoffs. Can he be playable and effective against the best of the best and not just terrible defenses?

I tend to lean that he can, but at some point, we're going to need to see it consistently. The Knicks aren't even that good defensively, and it still didn't feel like Pritchard was able to make them pay. Even while playing with good effort and position defensively, Pritchard was still hunted, which will be a reality in any playoff game. His shot making is what has to help balance that out, and this had to be one of the few games all year he finished without a single 3PM.

- I'm not sure what to make of Derrick White's recent turnover issue, but it's starting to become a thing at this point. Entry pass turnovers, late game passing blunders, the shocking part is we're so used to Derrick never making a mistake that my brain doesn't really know how to process it. I'm used to being able to trust Derrick with the ball in all situations, and now I have to deal with things like this

I mean what is going on here? I can't remember the last time we saw so many late game turnovers coming from Derrick, he's too good a player to be making these mistakes in high leverage spots. It'd be one thing if this wasn't a common theme recently, but it feels like he can't go a game without 3-4 poor turnovers like these. It's very weird.

The Ugly

- Despite the win, we did see the Celts struggle in several areas that we know will lose them playoff games/series.

1. High TOs / points allowed off TOs

2. Poor defensive rebounding

3. Cold shooting

In this win, the Celts finished with 15 TOs that led to 22 Knicks points. They were DESTROYED on the glass 52-38, allowing 17 OREB for 23 2nd chance points. While the shooting came around, they started just 8-26 (30%) in the first half.

The turnovers/rebounding issues are what bothered me more, because what we saw from them in this game is losing basketball. You simply cannot allow your opponent to put up 40 points off TOs/2nd chance points. Their inability to finish defensive possessions of cleanly will almost always come back to bite them in the ass, and it was beyond frustrating how it didn't really matter who was on the floor, nobody could rebound. 

You had guys not even fighting for the ball, you had guys not putting a body on anyone as they were crashing to the rim, it was clear the Knicks were more aggressive in this area, and that's concerning. Extra possessions, especially in a playoff game, are death. It's how you give a team life and get the crowd engaged. I'd say the Celts were rather lucky to pull this win out with how bad they were in 2 of those 3 areas.

- Not to mention the brain farts by the Knicks down the stretch, I think it's more than fair to suggest the Celts caught a bit of a prayer in this win.

The Bridges TO? Not fouling up 3? You can't really rely on smart teams making those mistakes. You have to be better around the margins, and last night the Celts really struggled with them.

But hey, a win is a win is a win. At the end of the day, they ripped out the Knicks hearts and made some NBA history along the way. Not bad for a game that didn't mean anything.