After falling 2-0 to the New York Knicks, the defending champion finds itself in a big hole. But the good news for the Boston Celtics is that in the last few years, they have always found a way to win on the road. The Celtics vs. Knicks series is far from over.
Celtics Saving Grace: One Spark To Reverse the Knicks Series
The last time the Celtics failed to win a road playoff game was in 2021. At the time, Boston made it as the seventh seed, only to lose 4-1 to the Brooklyn Nets. Since then, they have won a road game in every series they have played, including the Finals.
Their streak, including this year’s playoffs, is 12 consecutive playoff series with a road game win. In nine of those series, they have won two games on the road. That is something that should worry Knicks fans.
The Celtics Have Been Down and Won Before
During the last three playoff runs, the Celtics have been down before and managed to come back, but never down 2-0 to start the season. Here is a breakdown of the times the Celtics have managed to come back after being down in a series.
- In the 2022 Conference Semifinals, they were down 3-2 to the Milwaukee Bucks. They won Game 6 in Milwaukee and then booked their Finals ticket in Boston. Jayson Tatum was spectacular in Game 6, scoring 46 points on 17-32 shooting.
- In the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals, they fell down 2-1 to the Miami Heat. They won the next two to regain the lead, and then won the series in seven games.
- In the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals, they fell down 3-2 to the Philadelphia 76ers. Tatum was amazing in Game 7, scoring 51 points on 17-28 shooting.
If the Celtics lose Game 3, there is no coming back from that. No team in NBA history has come back from 3-0. To be fair, Boston was quite close to it in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. They fell down 3-0 to the Miami Heat, and then forced a Game 7. Yet, by the time they got to Game 7, they were spent and couldn’t keep up.
How Can the Celtics Turn the Knicks Series in their Favor?
The easy answer is to hit more of their shots. In the first two games against the Knicks, they have shot 25-100 from three-point range. We often say that this is a make-or-miss league, but the Celtics have been too stubborn in the Knicks series. They need to be more aggressive and start playing more inside.
The other obvious answer is not to take the foot off the gas. In two games, the Celtics had a 20-point lead and let the Knicks back into the game.
Here is an interesting stat: the Celtics are the first team in the play-by-play data to lose multiple playoff games after leading by at least 20 points during in the game. Yes, with the amount of three-pointers teams are shooting, it makes it easier to come back. Yet, this season, teams are 590-34 when leading by 20 points. The Celtics have managed to lose two such leads by being stubborn and shooting threes when their shot is not falling.
© David Butler II-Imagn Images
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