#1 – Appreciate greatness in the present
Jayson Tatum leads the league in games played since he entered the NBA. He’s been the constant, the iron man, the one you could always pencil in. And yet, it took one awkward landing to remind us how fragile it all is — a season, a career, a body. We talk so much about legacy, about rings, about narratives. Maybe we should spend more time just enjoying greatness while it was still out there.
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Now, let’s focus on how the Celtics lost another playoffs game after having a big lead.
#2 – White hot start to punish Knicks defense
The Knicks started again with their heavy help defense, closing the driving lanes on both sides. Yet this time, the Celtics made sure that Derrick White — one of their most prolific three-point shooters this season — was a pass away and ready to shoot.
They had seen on film how much space Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, or OG Anunoby are willing to give up to stop the Celtics from driving. Therefore, the Celtics needed to have the players a pass away from the ball ready to shoot and properly positioned.
D-White’s hot start was necessary to punish the Knicks’ approach, because once again, the Celtics were struggling to break the defensive shell.
Also, here is a very good read from Jrue Holiday, who recognized the space in the middle of the defense as the matchup wasn’t correctly set. Karl-Anthony Towns took too much time to react, which forced Josh Hart to cover from the corner. The defense collapsed… so White punished them again.
Of course, it only works because he’s making those shots — but you have to trust your strength to build on it.
#3 – Why stick to the drop coverage?
The Celtics’ pick-and-roll defense keeps concerning me. They opened with a drop coverage using Al Horford, and Brunson was quick to capitalize. If you don’t send in a third defender to help, the All-Star will gladly drive, pull up, or float one in. This guy lives in that zone!
Logically, you’d ask the defender on the worst shooter (Hart) to help in the middle and take the ball out of Brunson’s hands. But even if that’s a shot you’re willing to live with, Hart is still hitting 34% of his threes.
One alternative I’d suggest would be to switch and double. That often slows down the offense and forces Brunson to give the ball away. From there, the Celtics would have to rotate three against four just long enough for Horford to get back to his matchup. With Boston’s length and court awareness, this could be a strong alternative.
#4 – Jayson Tatum defensive presence
Before going down, Jayson Tatum delivered an impressive performance. Media will focus on his offense, but his defensive activity was remarkable. With four steals and two blocks, the All-NBA forward created transition opportunities and stopped the Knicks’ offense.
We saw in the previous game how much easier things became for the Celtics when he guarded Karl-Anthony Towns, as it allowed Horford to roam and protect the paint. But Tatum is more than just an on-ball defender. His length and understanding of the opponent’s offense make him one of the best help defenders in the NBA.
Even better, this defensive stop generated by Jayson Tatum didn’t require the Celtics to fight for the defensive rebound — which has been a major struggle.
#5 – Good defense means nothing without a defensive rebound
Making a defensive stop only matters if you can secure the rebound — and the Celtics didn’t. On 38% of the Knicks’ misses, they managed to get another opportunity to score. That’s more than one out of three.
The Celtics and the Knicks had the same eFG% and committed the same number of turnovers in this game, meaning they shot with equal efficiency and coughed up the ball at the same rate. But while the Knicks grabbed an offensive rebound on 38% of their misses, Boston extended possessions on only 21% of theirs.
That rebounding gap created a 10-point difference per 100 possessions — and Boston lost the game because they couldn’t win the possession battle.
#6 – Brunson in the third
When the Knicks needed it most, Jalen Brunson took over and attacked Al Horford relentlessly. The Celtics moved from drop coverage to switching, but the veteran couldn’t contain Brunson’s left hand.
The Knicks coaching staff also put Brunson in the best position. After a timeout — and another Celtics pull-up three — they ran a baseline cut for Brunson to shift from one corner to the other. Hart’s moving screen gave him just enough space.
Even Derrick White couldn’t stop Brunson. His shot-making was surgical, and the Celtics didn’t do much to force the ball out of his hands. Letting him go to work in isolation might not have been the best way to weather the storm.
And when Jalen Brunson’s turn was over, another New York villain took over in the fourth.
#7 – Bridges dominated the fourth once again
Games pass, but some things stay the same — Mikal Bridges punishing the Celtics’ defense during Brunson’s rest is one of them. The Knicks often run a pick-and-roll for Bridges when he runs the offense. He learned how to be a primary creator in Brooklyn and can deliver in short bursts.
From a horn set, they get him the ball plus a screen, and he navigates between the drop defender and his matchup to reach his spot. These are tough shots, but he makes them often enough to create real problems for the Celtics.
The Celtics then tried to switch and double on Brunson, but the execution wasn’t good enough with Porzingis, and the defensive shell broke again. Then, Bridges can build on Brunson first move and deliver. An impressive offensive stretch from Mikal as a creator and sidekick while Boston’s defense collapsed.
#8 – Kristaps Porzingis rough sequence
In the previous game, I mentioned how his rim protection and shooting could still have a positive impact despite modest individual numbers — but we might have hit the point where that no longer holds.
In one sequence, he missed a shot at the rim and got beat in transition without much resistance. That’s not the Porzingis we know, and it’s clear he’s trying to bring energy.
But the energy is lacking, and the Latvian big man might be creating more problems than he’s solving.
#9 – Four minutes of offensive emptiness
At first, the pull-up threes were falling, and it looked like the Celtics had control. And then… it stopped working.
First, a contested pull-up from Jayson Tatum after failing to create separation against Karl-Anthony Towns. Too bad — Payton Pritchard seemed open in the corner.
Then Derrick White couldn’t shake KAT and had to pull up from three.
On the next pull-up (yes, another one), JT got open — but maybe could’ve used the space to drive instead of settling.
Guess what came next? Yes, another pull-up three. Too bad again — Derrick White was open in the corner for a moment. He grabbed the airball and relocated to the opposite corner, but missed again.
Then, a miracle: a drive to draw two free throws — the only points in those four minutes.
Then two more pull-ups from deep, and that’s just 2 points in 8 possessions. The score flipped from 83-78 to 85-88, and the Celtics blew another lead.
#10 – Game 5 at the TD Garden
The Celtics have a chance to show their home crowd what they’re made of on Wednesday. Not just the players, but the coaching staff, too. They were all outmatched by the Knicks in Game 4. Now they must fight — for Boston, for the fans, for Jayson.
