Knicks thriving where Celtics are faltering under...

Knicks thriving where Celtics are faltering under pressure in playoffs originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston BOSTON – The New York Knicks? affinity for clutch time has been the difference so far in their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Boston Celtics.

For the second straight game, the Knicks erased a 20-point deficit and defeated the reigning NBA champions at TD Garden. They?ve been exceptional in the clutch this postseason, with seven of their eight games coming down to the final five minutes. Five of them have been wins, including Wednesday?s 91-90 triumph. With their Game 2 victory, the Knicks became the first team in NBA history to complete a 20-point comeback in consecutive playoff games. Meanwhile, the Celtics became the first team since 1996-97 to lose two games while leading by 20 or more points in a single postseason. After Wednesday?s loss, the Celtics have a -26.7 net rating in clutch situations (score within five; final five minutes) this postseason. In four clutch-time playoff games, they?re shooting 24.1 percent from the floor and 9.1 percent from 3 – both the lowest percentages among all teams in the postseason. Boston?s inability to close out games – and New York?s perseverance – ultimately could determine the outcome of the series. In Games 1 and 2 combined, the Celtics shot 9-for-45 (20 percent from the floor and 4-for-24 from 3-point range (16.7 percent) for a total of 33 points in the fourth quarter.

Knicks forward Mikal Bridges nearly outscored the C?s by himself in the final 12 minutes of Game 2, dropping all 14 of his points in the frame and topping off the performance with a game-sealing steal against Jayson Tatum. Jalen Brunson, the 2024-25 NBA Clutch Player of the Year, scored all six Knicks points in the final two minutes and has outscored Boston in the final five fourth-quarter minutes of both games, 17-13. Tatum finished Game 2 with only 13 points (5-19 FG) – his lowest scoring output of the season. ?They made every play,? Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said of the Knicks. ?Throughout the end of third and into the fourth quarter, I thought we generated some good looks. We had some live-ball turnovers, and they took advantage of it. They made the necessary plays to win.?

Jaylen Brown was among the few bright spots for Boston in the devastating loss. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP tied Derrick White for a team-high 20 points, though he didn?t score in the fourth quarter. So, how can Brown and the C?s avoid letting their late-game collapses affect them mentally for the remainder of the series? ?Just be poised, take a deep breath, and just go out there and do what we?re supposed to do,? Brown said. ?We gotta be better to close games, and we gotta learn and respond fast. So that?s the key. Shift your mentality, shift your focus. What?s in the past is over with. Let it sting a little bit, and then do whatever it takes Game 3.? Brown admitted the team?s performance has been ?inexcusable,? but he isn?t losing faith as the series shifts to New York.

?These are the moments where we need to show our resiliency, we need to show our mental toughness,? he added. ?Because we can get back into this thing, no question. Obviously, being down 0-2, it sucks. But we?ve got a great group, and if I had to select any guys to get it done, it?s the group that we have in our locker room.? The Celtics will look to get back on track Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off for Game 3 is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.Knicks thriving where Celtics are faltering under pressure in playoffs Knicks thriving where Celtics are faltering under pressure in playoffs originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston BOSTON – The New York Knicks? affinity for clutch time has been the difference so far in their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Boston Celtics.

For the second straight game, the Knicks erased a 20-point deficit and defeated the reigning NBA champions at TD Garden. They?ve been exceptional in the clutch this postseason, with seven of their eight games coming down to the final five minutes. Five of them have been wins, including Wednesday?s 91-90 triumph. With their Game 2 victory, the Knicks became the first team in NBA history to complete a 20-point comeback in consecutive playoff games. Meanwhile, the Celtics became the first team since 1996-97 to lose two games while leading by 20 or more points in a single postseason. After Wednesday?s loss, the Celtics have a -26.7 net rating in clutch situations (score within five; final five minutes) this postseason. In four clutch-time playoff games, they?re shooting 24.1 percent from the floor and 9.1 percent from 3 – both the lowest percentages among all teams in the postseason. Boston?s inability to close out games – and New York?s perseverance – ultimately could determine the outcome of the series. In Games 1 and 2 combined, the Celtics shot 9-for-45 (20 percent from the floor and 4-for-24 from 3-point range (16.7 percent) for a total of 33 points in the fourth quarter.

Knicks forward Mikal Bridges nearly outscored the C?s by himself in the final 12 minutes of Game 2, dropping all 14 of his points in the frame and topping off the performance with a game-sealing steal against Jayson Tatum. Jalen Brunson, the 2024-25 NBA Clutch Player of the Year, scored all six Knicks points in the final two minutes and has outscored Boston in the final five fourth-quarter minutes of both games, 17-13. Tatum finished Game 2 with only 13 points (5-19 FG) – his lowest scoring output of the season. ?They made every play,? Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said of the Knicks. ?Throughout the end of third and into the fourth quarter, I thought we generated some good looks. We had some live-ball turnovers, and they took advantage of it. They made the necessary plays to win.?

Jaylen Brown was among the few bright spots for Boston in the devastating loss. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP tied Derrick White for a team-high 20 points, though he didn?t score in the fourth quarter. So, how can Brown and the C?s avoid letting their late-game collapses affect them mentally for the remainder of the series? ?Just be poised, take a deep breath, and just go out there and do what we?re supposed to do,? Brown said. ?We gotta be better to close games, and we gotta learn and respond fast. So that?s the key. Shift your mentality, shift your focus. What?s in the past is over with. Let it sting a little bit, and then do whatever it takes Game 3.? Brown admitted the team?s performance has been ?inexcusable,? but he isn?t losing faith as the series shifts to New York.

?These are the moments where we need to show our resiliency, we need to show our mental toughness,? he added. ?Because we can get back into this thing, no question. Obviously, being down 0-2, it sucks. But we?ve got a great group, and if I had to select any guys to get it done, it?s the group that we have in our locker room.? The Celtics will look to get back on track Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off for Game 3 is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.