The Boston Celtics entered Madison Square Garden and not only found their shooting stroke but also rediscovered their winning ways, beating the New York Knicks and securing their first win of the series by the score of 115-93.
Although their backs were against the wall, the Celtics did not abandon their game plan, which is to make threes at will.
The only difference this time, however, was that they were going in. Kristaps Porzingis played more minutes in this game than he had in the first two games combined, which is good news for the Celtics.
The defense stepped up their game and caused turnovers from the get-go, stopping Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson from getting anything going while also ensuring no comeback would happen this time.
Boston played their first complete game of this series, which has turned the momentum, showing what all the pundits had been saying: that the Celtics are the superior team.
New York is scrappy, but dominating them in a sold-out Garden showed that this Celtics team has that dog in them, and they are satisfied just being in the semifinals; the championship banner, number 19, is the ultimate goal.
Jaylen Brown has been the leader this series, and he continued that trend by attacking the basket and getting his shots off from behind the arc. Payton Pritchard came off the bench and had himself a game as he was a nuisance on defense and a weapon on the offensive side of the ball, and finished with a team-high 23 points. Old man Al Horford got the start and was playing like a man in his youth by hitting his threes and playing solid defense in the paint.
It was a nice change to see the Celtics play the way they’re supposed to, and they had Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau shaking his head in frustration.
The Celtics shared the ball effectively and had the Knicks relying more on hero ball, with Brunson or Towns attempting to take forced shots, which played right into the Celtics’ hands. Boston also made Mitch Robinson head to the free-throw line, where he continues to struggle mightily. If the Celtics can continue playing at the level they showed on Saturday, then they could realistically reel off four wins in a row and head to the conference finals, as they genuinely are a better team. Madison Square Garden was rowdy initially, but from the get-go, the Celtics quieted New York’s crowd, with some heading for the exits early.
Game four is a must-win game for the Celtics, as they want to head back to Boston with the series tied and in control of their destiny. Look for the Knicks to fight back harder than they did in this game, as losing another one at home would put this series in jeopardy. I will say that for the season, Boston has played better on the road than they have at TD Garden, which is certainly weird, but honestly, in the first two games, the Celtics, even though they were shooting horribly, still were dominating up until the fourth quarter, when they went super cold from beyond the arc. It appears that the Celtics’ shooting has started heating up, which is bad news for the New York Knicks.
New York is scrappy, and they fight hard, but this is the Boston Celtics, where tradition and championships are what is expected.
You could tell from the opening tip that the Celtics were determined to redeem themselves after their last two outings and were not messing around in this game.
Game four should be interesting because if the Celtics continue their newfound trend of playing a complete game, then it should be much of the same. However, if they revert to not playing a complete game, then they could head back to Boston down 3-1. I expect the Celtics to even this series and regain the series lead at home.
This is Celtics basketball, and perhaps the two blown losses were just what the team needed to reignite their fire and desire and bring home championship number 19.
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