The start of the Boston Celtics' rivalry clash vs. the New York Knicks looked like a demoralizing blow to a team that got swept by the former in the regular season. Instead, it was a reaffirming win for the visitors.
The idea they can hang with the NBA's reigning champions, that they can beat top-tier competition, isn't a delusion -- it's a fact. In the regular season, New York fared 0/10 against the Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Cleveland Cavaliers, the owners of the three best regular season records. But in the playoffs, the slate gets wiped clean.
It wouldn't have felt that way if Boston maintained its 20-point third-quarter advantage and cruised to another dominant victory vs. Jalen Brunson and Co.
But a historically poor performance from beyond the arc led to a second-half collapse.
The Celtics launched 37/49 shots from three-point range after intermission. That includes overtime. They went 10/37 (27 percent) on those attempts.
Boston missing 45 triples, faring 15/60 from behind the arc, represents a new record for the most missed threes in a playoff game, per StatMuse.
"[There were] probably some times where we settled," said Jayson Tatum after the hosts' series-opening loss. "I could've put more pressure on the rim. But a lot of times, we felt like we got really, really good looks, and [we] couldn't convert."
That was the common theme conveyed by the Celtics after Game 1.
"I thought throughout the night, for the most part, we fought for good looks," said Joe Mazzulla. "But yeah, you can find 5-10 that we can be better at."
"To be honest, I'm not sure," stated Jaylen Brown. "I think we've got to look at it. Some of them felt good. Some of them felt like we maybe forced it to shoot. Definitely, our rhythm and our timing were a little bit off. We got a lot of great looks, but there may be some truth to that. We've got to look at the film and see what happened in that second half."
Jrue Holiday a bright spot in Game 1 loss
While the Celtics squandering a 20-point lead and missing one three after another is the primary takeaway from their first loss to the Knicks this season, Jrue Holiday's return ranks near the top of the list of positives the hosts will take from the series opener.
The two-time All-Star rejoined the lineup after missing the final three tilts against the Orlando Magic due to a hamstring strain.
"No issues," he said of it post-game. "[I] felt pretty fresh. It was good to be back out there."
Holiday registered 16 points. That included a three to give the hosts an 89-86 edge with 6:26 remaining. He also converted on a game-tying layup with under a minute left.
He also produced six rebounds, including five at the offensive end, three assists, and a steal in his return.
"Jrue was being Jrue Holiday," Tatum told Hardwood Houdini. "The Swiss army knife; the guy that does a little bit of everything for us. I was excited. Everybody was excited that he was back and was able to play tonight."
Holiday's 39 minutes included making life difficult for Brunson, picking him up full court, fighting to fend off switches, and hounding New York's star guard.
Brunson matched OG Anunoby with a game-high 29 points, but he shot below 40 percent from the field. He also had a team-leading four turnovers and only attempted seven free throws after averaging nine in Round 1 vs. the Detroit Pistons, per NBA.com.
"Jrue looked good," Brown expressed to Hardwood Houdini. "Jrue made plays. Offensive rebound after offensive rebound that gave us a chance to get in the game. He made some big plays down the stretch that we needed. Hit a big three to put us up.
Brown continued, "Jrue had a great return. So, we're just looking forward to Game 2. Obviously, it stings. We feel like we let our home crowd down, but we're looking forward to Game 2."
