The Boston Celtics had déjà vu Wednesday night, blowing another double-digit lead in heart-breaking fashion to the New York Knicks, losing 91-90.
You can point to many things that went wrong for the Celtics. But the biggest one is that the Celtics scored only 17 points in the fourth quarter, as the Knicks finished the game on a 23-6 run.
Just as in Game 1, the Celtics were settling for three-point shots. Although they had some open looks, their shots weren’t falling. Their loss in Game 1 felt like a fluke because they shot so horribly, yet they didn’t shoot any better last night. The Celtics shot 25% from three in both losses but took 20 fewer threes in Game 2.
Now down 0-2 and with the next two games at Madison Square Garden, the Celtics' season is on the brink of ending. While they aren’t out of the fight yet, Celtics’ star Jayson Tatum must step up to the bright lights, like legends have before him, and carry the Celtics to victory in Game 3.
Jayson Tatum Must Wake Up as Series Heads to New York
After coming back from a wrist injury that forced him to miss Game 2 versus the Orlando Magic in the first round, Jayson Tatum was phenomenal the rest of the series. In the last three games against the Magic, he averaged 36 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. He also shot 47.6% from the field and 100% from the free-throw line on 12.3 attempts.
It felt like Tatum was saving his best for the playoffs until the Knicks came to town. So far in this series, Tatum is averaging 18 points per game, shooting 28.6% from the field, 25% from downtown, and has only attempted 4.5 free throws.
The aggressive Tatum that we saw against the Magic has disappeared. With the Magic playing so high up on the Celtics, they practically begged them to score inside. Tatum did just that, having his way against Magic defenders by getting to the rim and converting points at the line.
The Knicks are doing the opposite, letting the Celtics take all the threes they want, relying on their lengthy wings, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, to lock down Jaylen Brown and Tatum.
Tatum and the rest of the Celtics are settling for threes even when they aren’t making them.
In Game 2, the Celtics were semi-aggressive, building a 20-point lead at one point, even though Tatum struggled. When nothing was going for the Celtics and they had no rhythm on offense, they started to settle. They weren’t taking advantage of the Knicks' failure to score, letting them back into the game.
These failed sequences led to another loss, which fell on Tatum's shoulders. When you’re the best player and the guy the team relies on, you need to take over when things aren’t working. Tatum failed to do so.
When everything was out of sorts and the Celtics were on a dry streak, Tatum failed to take control. When they weren’t being aggressive and all the momentum was turning in the Knicks' favor, Tatum failed to turn it back.
When the ball was in his hands in the last possession, Tatum failed to deliver, turning the ball over while driving into a corner surrounded by Knicks. Tatum had three turnovers last night and five turnovers in Game 1.
I’ll give Tatum credit for his rebounding because, at times, he seems like the only player on the Celtics who rebounds. However, Tatum needs to do more than rebound. He needs to be the aggressive Tatum we saw in the first round.
He must start driving to the rim more and pass up on some threes. If they want any chance to bring this series back to Boston, Tatum must take over by being determined that no Knicks player will stop him from getting to the rim.