I have seen this Celtics team lose that game so many times

The Celtics’ 108-105 Game 1 loss against the Knicks was everything you know from bad Celtics losses in the playoffs: not doing a good enough job at take advantages of mismatches, Jayson Tatum settling too much, sloppy turnovers, gut punching misses leading to made threes on the other end, and giving up big offensive rebounds.

We have seen that game so many times I decided to make a list:

Game 3, 2020 2nd round vs. the Raptors
Game 1, 2020 Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Heat
Game 4, 2020 Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Heat
Game 3, 2022 2nd round vs. the Bucks

Game 5, 2022 2nd round vs. the Bucks
Game 3, 2022 Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Heat
Game 6, 2022 Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Heat
Game 4, 2022 Finals vs. the Warriors

Game 5, 2023 1st round vs. the Hawks

Game 1, 2023 2nd round vs. the 76ers.
Game 4, 2023 2nd round vs. the 76ers
Game 1, 2023 Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Heat
Game 2, 2023 Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Heat
Game 1, 2025 2nd round vs. the Knicks

We can debate if some of these games qualify — Game 4 vs. Philly in ‘23 and Game 3 vs. Milwaukee in ‘22 are two that I am not sure qualify, but they are also the only two true road games.

I would also be willing to add Game 5 vs. Golden State in the 2022 Finals, but I left it off because it didn’t slip through the Celtics fingers in the 4th quarter. I am also a little foggy on the 2020 games but decided to include them anyways. Game 2 vs. the Heat and Game 6 vs. the Raptors from that year could also be added to the list.

In a lot of those games, there were moments that are seared into my brain. The OG Anunoby buzzer beater, the Bam Adebayo block, the Bobby Portis offensive rebound followed by back to back Jrue plays against Marcus Smart, Stephen Curry, Trae Young’s dagger, both of James Harden’s daggers, and then of course, Grant Willams getting in Jimmy Butler’s face.

(Don’t watch the linked videos.)

This game didn’t have a single moment like that, but the Brunson missed floater was setting up to be it. He mercifully missed that one at the end of regulation.

It is just really frustrating to see this team lose in this fashion so many times. It has costed them chances to win championships. I rewatched Game 3 of the ‘22 Finals on Sunday and could see that the Celtics were a better team than the Warriors were. Yet, they lost games like the one we watched on Monday. They were also better than the Heat were in 2023.

This is not a coaching issue. Three different head coaches have over seen losses like this from this team. It’s a Jays thing. Both Tatum and Brown said it after the game, they got too three-point happy at the end of the game.

The one play that really jumped off the page to me was Tatum’s pull up on that last possession.

You have the switch, I just don’t think a step back in that spot is the right shot. I know OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are standing there in help defense and that is probably why he took the step-bac,k but a drive either gets you to the cup or maybe you can kick it out to White or Horford for three. Maybe he gets stripped, but he is so strong and his handle is so good right now that I don’t think that happens.

The question was asked if this is the more frustrating than any of the 2023 losses.

I don’t think so. The Game 1 and 2 losses against Miami were worse to me. If we want to broaden the scale, in the moment, Game 5 in 2022 against the Bucks remains the worst I have felt after a game the Celtics were not eliminated from. Of course, Game 4 of the 2022 Finals also was worse than this one.

Now, I have all the confidence in the world in this group to bounce back. They have done it so many times before. Some of our favorite moments are created from losses like this one and I have all the confidence in the world that they’ll bounce back again.

That doesn’t make what happened on Monday night any less frustrating.