The Boston Celtics dug themselves a hole against the Knicks, falling 2-0 behind following back-to-back epic collapses in the fourth quarter at TD Garden. This sets up a crucial Game 3 at Madison Square Garden as another Celtics loss would effectively end Boston's season.
On FanDuel Sportsbook, the Celtics are -5.5 road favorites on Saturday. While they certainly have the talent to head back to Boston with the series tied at 2-2, they need to play much better. And that starts with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Tatum and Brown are shooting a combined 31.7% from the field and have shot 8/37 from three through the first two games of the series. Brown has more turnovers than assists so far. They have both struggled to consistently create good shots against the Knicks' defense, especially in crunch time.
Their former teammate Grant Williams took to social media to come to their defense. Williams, who spent the past two seasons in Dallas and Charlotte, called the Celtics discourse "wild" and said both Brown and Tatum were superstars.
Not even with them anymore but this C’s discourse is wild. Everyone has a right to an opinion but JT and JB are Superstars. They are able 2 have bad games but we’ve all witnessed them both takeover. Don’t let recent events cloud your eyes from what they’ve done and accomplished.
— Grant Williams (@Grant2Will) May 9, 2025
Grant Williams Comes to the Celtics' Defense Ahead of Game 3
Williams witnessed Brown and Tatum's greatness firsthand for four seasons as the Celtics made at least the Eastern Conference Finals three out of those four years. Boston has been the most consistently successful team in the NBA since the Tatum-Brown era started.
The former Celtics forward had plenty of success during his stint in Boston despite never being able to win an NBA championship. A polarizing figure around the league because of his outspoken nature and his frequent on-court confrontations with opponents, Williams clearly still has a close relationships with this Celtics teammates.
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