The Boston Celtics came up short in their second-round debut on Monday night, falling 108-105 in overtime to the New York Knicks in Game 1. It wasn't the outcome the No. 2-seeded Celtics wanted, especially in front of a sold-out TD Garden crowd. Needless to say, a more complete effort is needed in Game 2.
As disappointing as Monday's loss was, it wasn't all bad for the Celtics. The second round's opening contest marked the return of Jrue Holiday in head coach Joe Mazzulla's lineup after the veteran guard missed the majority of Round 1 with a hamstring injury.
Jrue Holiday Reacts to Return From Injury After Celtics Lose Game 1 vs. Knicks
Following the disappointing series opener, Holiday spoke with the media about his return to action. While hamstring injuries can linger, the veteran Celtics leader didn't experience any setbacks Monday night.
"(My hamstring) felt good. No issues. It felt pretty fresh," Holiday said (h/t @NoaDalzell). "It was good to be back out there."
Holiday's return to action saw him finish Game 1 with a postseason-high 16 points while shooting 7-of-14 (50.0%) from the floor and 2-of-7 (28.6%) from deep. The ex-UCLA Bruin also tallied six rebounds (five offensive), three assists, and a steal in 39 minutes. His reliable defense saw him finish as one of three Celtics players with a positive plus/minus rating (plus-2).
As disappointing as the Game 1 loss was, it's a relief knowing that Holiday is seemingly back to full strength. Even though Mazzulla's deep lineup helped the Celtics survive the 34-year-old's hamstring issue in the first round, they're clearly a better team when he's on the floor compared to when he isn't.
After the loss to the Knicks, Holiday is now averaging 12.0 points, 4.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals with a 48.3 FG% and 35.7 3P% in three playoff outings. Although that's far from the worst performance, it's a far cry from the version of himself that helped the Celtics win the 2024 NBA Finals last spring.
Hopefully, Holiday's upward trajectory continues so that he can help Boston even the series. Speaking of which, FanDuel Sportsbook is currently listing the Celtics as the 10-point home favorites over the Knicks in Game 2.
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