It's almost entirely the same roster as last year's banner-raising group, and yet, at the start of the Celtics' second-round series against the Knicks, it's felt entirely different. Both Game 1 and Game 2 saw epic 20-point collapses in the second half and then absolutely inexcusable plays to end the game at put Boston in an 0-2 hole heading into what will certainly be a raucous Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
Luckily, the Celtics have a few days to reflect, collect, and compose themselves before heading to New York. Obviously, changes need to be made, but first they need to look at what has gone wrong, why it's gone wrong, and who has put the Celtics in this situation.
1. Joe Mazzulla
Two things real quick: 1) The coach gets the blame for losses even when it necessarily is not their fault, and 2) this is not one of those scenarios.
Mazzulla seems to be disconnected from reality when it comes to guiding his team's approach to three-pointers.
"Live by the three, die by the three" is the NBA motto these days. The Celtics are dying, and it's Mazzulla's job as coach to tell them to stop taking threes. Taking 60 threes in Game 1 and missing 75% of them is one thing. That lesson should be learned.
Mazzulla's message in Game 2 should have been to get to the basket. To follow that up with another 25% shooting effort from three means Mazzulla has lost control and needs to rein in his team quickly. Mazzulla is a defensive-minded coach, but his strategy here to attack Brunson has led to others, such as Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, to have a significant impact on the outcome of these games. Sometimes the strategy needs to be "Stop the Others".
Jalen Brunson is going to score, so keeping the rest of the team under wraps needs to be the defensive mindset going forward. The blame for the end-of-game plays could fall on players or the coach, but generally, the ball goes to the stars at the end of the game, though it just didn't look like there was a plan going into the final seconds.
2. Jaylen Brown
What a difference a year makes.
Last year, Brown was the Finals MVP and looked every bit worth the max contract he signed. In Game 1, Brown looked lost at times, had a terrible shooting night, and had six turnovers. Again, everyone has a bad night. The icing on the cake, though, is just letting Mikal Bridges take the ball from him. A cross-court entry pass is a bad enough idea; using that time to revisit the "sharing is caring" lesson that Brown learned in kindergarten is inexcusable. Brown seems to have lost his killer instinct.
3. Jayson Tatum
All-NBA players and MVP candidates can have an off night. Having two off nights in a row, at home and having one of the worst end-of-game plays (possibly of all-time, although credit to the Knicks defense) is alarming.
Tatum is certainly the Celtics' best all-around player and is holding up his end of the bargain defensively and rebounding, but his shooting is appalling: 11/40 from the field and 5/20 from three through two games. Those aren't the shooting decisions of one of the five-to-ten best players in the world. It's more reflective of "hero ball".
The Celtics work best when the ball is moving and the team is getting open looks. Every time the Celtics and Tatum start playing consistent isolation ball, they end up losing.
There are other reasons for the Celtics' 0-2 hole. Porzingis' illness doesn't help, and it's tough to blame him for being sick and trying to push through it. Unfortunately, that is forcing Al Horford to play more minutes than necessary and giving Luke Kornet some significant playing time. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday have not had quite the same impact defensively as hoped.
Thursday and Friday are days for the entire team to reflect, but Coach Mazzulla, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum need to dig deep and reset. Game 3 is a must-win now, or the Celtics' title defense is likely over.