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The Boston Celtics appeared to be down and out after they threw away yet another double-digit lead against the New York Knicks in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Monday night. Not only were they suddenly trailing 3-1 in the series, but they also saw their best player, Jayson Tatum, tear his Achilles with just under three minutes left in the game.
And yet, the Celtics showed just how gritty they are with a dominant 127-102 victory at TD Garden on Wednesday night. After a tightly contested first half, Boston made a series of major adjustments in the second half that New York could not figure out. Now, the series will shift back to Madison Square Garden for Game 6, and there's no doubt that this will be the biggest game of the season for both squads.
Losing Tatum undoubtedly hurts the C's, but they proved in Game 5 that they still have enough talent to play with the best teams in the league. Winning one game is only part of the battle, though, as Boston now has to find a way to win Game 6 while in enemy territory just to force a Game 7 (which would be played on the Celtics home turf, for what it's worth). Can this team do it, or was Game 5 a fluke? Let's take a closer look.
How the Celtics can take down Knicks without Jayson Tatum
Boston's series against New York has been frustrating for several reasons. Despite trailing 3-2 now, the Celtics have largely dominated the proceedings, as each of their losses have seen them throw away a double-digit lead. Again, the team also lost their best player as he was in the middle of a 42-point outburst in an effort to knot the series at two games apiece. On Wednesday, though, Boston proved they can never truly be counted out, no matter the circumstances.
This isn't the first time this team has found themselves in this sort of situation. Only two years ago, the C's very nearly rallied from a 3-0 series deficit against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, only for Tatum to sprain his ankle seconds into Game 7, which proved to be too much for Boston to overcome. This time, they will have to win three straight without the benefit of having their best player at their disposal.
There's reason for the Celtics to be confident as they head into Game 6, though. Again, when they are playing their best basketball (even without Tatum), the Knicks are not on the same level as them, and they were a historically good road team throughout the regular season. If the C's simply play their game on both ends of the floor, while also not tightening up in crunch time, they will be in a great position to at least force a Game 7.
After Boston's Game 2 loss, we looked at what New York was doing to limit their offense. Essentially, they are running a defense similar to what the Oklahoma City Thunder ran against the Celtics during the regular season. They are stashing a big man in the paint (usually Mitchell Robinson) while letting their four other players swarm the perimeter, whether it be intercepting passing lanes or doubling ball handlers.
While this worked in the first two games of the series thanks to the C's horrific three-point shooting, there are some serious flaws in this plan. For starters, if Boston hits their threes, New York is toast. After hitting just 25% of their threes over the first two games of the series, the Celtics have responded by hitting 43.8% of their shots from behind the arc in Games 3-5. If the Knicks don't score 70 points in the second half of Game 4, which was easily their best half of basketball in this entire series, the Celtics are probably up 3-2 right now.
For the most part, Boston's offense is back in gear, as they scored the most points in a single game this series without Tatum in Game 5. They aren't shying away from taking open threes, which is what they need to do if New York is going to guard the paint and leave shooters open. And when the Knicks ratchet up the pressure, the ball movement has improved significantly, which has resulted in the team's turnover numbers dropping, while also leading to these aforementioned open threes.
After getting torched on defense in the second half of Game 4, the Celtics needed to make some adjustments on that side of the ball in Game 5. Head coach Joe Mazzulla inadvertently found a solution when he inserted Luke Kornet into the starting lineup in place of the ineffective Kristaps Porzingis to begin the second half, and he may have found a sustainable way to limit the Knicks offense in Game 6 and beyond.
Mazzulla turned back the clock and used a defensive strategy that led to Boston's run to the NBA Finals back in 2022. With Ime Udoka leading the charge at the time, the Celtics put together an elite defense using an unusual configuration that threw teams off. They used Robert Williams III to anchor the paint by stashing him on the opposing team's worst shooter, putting teams in a tough spot. Either they drive to the paint and run into an elite shot blocker in Williams, or they kick the ball to the perimeter where their worst shooter is being dared to nail threes.
That is precisely what Kornet did in the second half of Game 5. Stashed on Josh Hart, who shot 33.3% behind the arc on limited volume during the regular season, Kornet was daring him to shoot. If the Knicks tried to pull him into pick-and-roll actions, Kornet would literally ignore Hart on his pops out to the perimeter and clog driving lanes, allowing the on-ball defender to play over the screen without having to worry about a drive to the paint.
Ironically enough, Hart hit five of his nine three-point attempts in this game, leading all Knicks scorers with 24 points. But as the game wore on, he became more and more timid when it came to pulling these shots because of Kornet's length. There were several occasions where Hart probably could have taken an open three, but he opted against it with the 7'2 Kornet barreling towards him.
The end result was a career game from Kornet, who made all five of his shots for 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and blocked a career-high seven shots, and he did it by filling the role that Williams once did for the Celtics. New York had no answer for this defensive configuration in Game 5, and while they will certainly hit the drawing board ahead of Game 6, Boston could very well have more adjustments in store.
If the Celtics play their style of basketball, they have a great shot at taking down the Knicks. It's certainly daunting, but Boston is the better team; they just haven't been consistent. If they can stifle New York with their new defensive look, while continuing to knock down their threes, a shocking rally could come together. But first, they need to focus on winning Game 6, as it will be their biggest challenge of the season. Earning a victory isn't as unlikely as it once seemed, though.
