Just when you think it couldn't get any worse for the Boston Celtics. They've had a rough season, battling injuries and inconsistency throughout their 2021 – 22 campaign. They've hit some terrible lows, but their recent loss to the New York Knicks might just be rock bottom for them.

The Celtics were up by as much as twenty-five points against the Knicks, and held a 16-point lead at halftime. It should've been a done deal… and then the Cs collapsed. Hard. Julius Randle led a huge comeback effort for the Knicks, capped by a dagger RJ Barrett shot that sealed the 108 – 105 win against Boston.

This feat is nearly unprecedented in Knicks history. According to ESPN's stats department, New York was a measly 1 – 229 over the last 25 seasons when they had a deficit of 25 or more points. The Celtics today just turned that stat to 2 – 229 after their massive choke job in Madison Square Garden.

This, unfortunately, has been a theme for the Celtics throughout the season. They've been able to get huge leads over their opponents early in the game, but they seem to take the foot off of the gas midway through the game. The Celtics now join the Pelicans as the team with the most losses after leading by as much as 15+ points.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, 76ers logo on one side. On other side is Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, Knicks logo

Bailey Bassett ·

76ers' Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Nick Nurse and Knicks' Tom Thibodeau, Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby

Sam DiGiovanni ·

Isaiah Hartenstein looking intense at Joel Embiid

Ryan Bologna ·

Ime Udoka's first stint in Boston hasn't gone according to plan. When a team routinely chokes away leads like the Celtics and fails to execute in crunch time, the blame usually falls on the coach's shoulders. It's one of his responsibilities to make sure that the team is mentally focused throughout the game. Perhaps the “mental toughness” and “calming presence” he talks about should come from him.