- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 463,154
- Reaction score
- 44
For the defending-champion Celtics, safe to say that things have not quite gone according to plan here in the early portion of the conference semifinals. Boston has twice built up leads of 20 points or more in each of the first two games of their series against the Knicks, and twice the Celtics have coughed up those leads in spectacular fashion.
In losing Game 2 to the Knicks on Wednesday, 91-90, the Celtics were not the first team that won 60 games in the regular season to fall behind, 2-0, in the conference semifinals. But they're only the second to do so in league history. Oddly enough, the first was the Cavaliers, who did it vs. the Pacers on Tuesday.
Certainly, the Celtics' championship pedigree, and the fact that they were able to build 20-point leads in the first place, gives them a glimmer of hope when it comes to rebounding in this series.
Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) returns up court against the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter during game two of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden.Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
But not according to former Celtics center Kendrick Perkins, who was part of the 2008 championship winning Celtics bunch.
"This series is over," Perkins said on "Get Up" on Thursday morning. "I don't give a damn what the Celtics' road wins and record look like. First of all, do you realize how rocking Madison Square Garden is going to be in Game 3? The energy in itself is going to have Knicks players making shots. Do you realize that they have one of the best--the best--clutch guy in Jalen Brunson? Do you realize that role players actually play better at home?
"Right now, they have the mental edge over the Celtics, I don't care what nobody says. The Celtics are done. They're not coming back in this series. ... The Celtics will be lucky to get one game."
It might not be all that dire, however. The Celtics have struggled, badly, to close out games in this series, but they have dominated the early stages of both games, outscoring the Knicks, 157-136 in the first three quarters.
The fourth quarter has been the problem. The Knicks’ offensive rating in the fourth has been 127.9, compared with a 76.7 from the Celtics. That’s a massive 51.2-point difference in ratings. The Celtics have shot just 22.5% from the field in the fourth quarter, and 15.4% from the 3-point line.
Do better, even a little, in the closing period and the Celtics would at least have a chance to come back.
Continue reading...
In losing Game 2 to the Knicks on Wednesday, 91-90, the Celtics were not the first team that won 60 games in the regular season to fall behind, 2-0, in the conference semifinals. But they're only the second to do so in league history. Oddly enough, the first was the Cavaliers, who did it vs. the Pacers on Tuesday.
Certainly, the Celtics' championship pedigree, and the fact that they were able to build 20-point leads in the first place, gives them a glimmer of hope when it comes to rebounding in this series.
You must be registered for see images attach
Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) returns up court against the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter during game two of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden.Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
But not according to former Celtics center Kendrick Perkins, who was part of the 2008 championship winning Celtics bunch.
"This series is over," Perkins said on "Get Up" on Thursday morning. "I don't give a damn what the Celtics' road wins and record look like. First of all, do you realize how rocking Madison Square Garden is going to be in Game 3? The energy in itself is going to have Knicks players making shots. Do you realize that they have one of the best--the best--clutch guy in Jalen Brunson? Do you realize that role players actually play better at home?
"Right now, they have the mental edge over the Celtics, I don't care what nobody says. The Celtics are done. They're not coming back in this series. ... The Celtics will be lucky to get one game."
It might not be all that dire, however. The Celtics have struggled, badly, to close out games in this series, but they have dominated the early stages of both games, outscoring the Knicks, 157-136 in the first three quarters.
The fourth quarter has been the problem. The Knicks’ offensive rating in the fourth has been 127.9, compared with a 76.7 from the Celtics. That’s a massive 51.2-point difference in ratings. The Celtics have shot just 22.5% from the field in the fourth quarter, and 15.4% from the 3-point line.
Do better, even a little, in the closing period and the Celtics would at least have a chance to come back.
Continue reading...
