The Celtics swept the Knicks in the regular season for the first time since 2019-20, with three of their four wins coming by double digits — 23, 27, and 13 points — for an average margin of victory of 16.3.
But regular-season dominance doesn’t carry over to the playoffs. As these Atlantic Division rivals meet in the postseason for the first time since 2013 — the final chapter in Boston for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Doc Rivers — the focus shifts entirely to the present.
“That’s just a saying. Everything sort of changes,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said of the sweep. “You still have to rebound. You have to take care of the basketball. You have to be able to defend without fouling. You have to execute. You have to set good screens. You have to sprint in transition. You have to get to the corners. You have to sprint back. You have to keep it five-on-five. You have to protect the paint. You have to box out. All of those details are super important. Every game takes on a life of its own; every series takes on a life of its own. Right now, the series is 0-0. It’s two good teams getting ready to play, and we have to be able to execute the process of winning at a high, high level.”
As always, the margins were a focal point for Mazzulla as the Celtics aim to become the first reigning champion to make it out of the second round since the 2018-19 Warriors.
“It’ll come down to the margins,” Mazzulla said. “You have to be able to defend without fouling, rebound, take care of the ball, execute, and be able to get the different stuff defensively because of their ability to put pressure on the rim and get great shots.”
Any team that controls those margins — shot attempts, rebounds, turnovers, and fouls — puts itself in a position to win. That’s especially true for a team as talented as Boston. When they lose discipline in those areas, that’s when things unravel.
“Those are some of the, I think, the most important factors for us,” said Jaylen Brown. “We’re very talented, very skilled, we have a lot of shot-makers, we’re gonna score the ball. Defensively, we have a lot of great defenders. The stuff that will get us in trouble? If we turn the ball over, we don’t rebound, and things like that. So, taking care of that gives us a higher percentage of winning games. So, we emphasize those things.”
“Mazzulla Ball” is often associated with a barrage of three-point attempts, but that’s only part of the story. It’s a style of play centered on creating any advantage possible — by making easy reads, understanding the importance of spacing, and recognizing the connection between offense and defense. And the easiest way to create those advantages is by dominating the margins of the game.
“Each team has their own identity, things they want to do, and how they see winning. Everybody’s is different, but for us, it’s this,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “It worked last year for us, and so far, we’ve been doing decently. Those are just the simple things that we need to do right to be a great team.”
So far this season, Boston has checked those boxes against New York. In their four meetings, the Celtics took more shots, grabbed more rebounds, turned the ball over less, and stayed disciplined against a top-10 foul-drawing team, finishing with just four more fouls across the four games.
“At the end of the day, you have to go out there and execute on both ends of the floor. The series is at 0-0. It comes down to executing simple details over and over again, with a high level of physicality and attention to detail,” said Mazzulla. “You just have to be able to do that. And, at the same time, have no expectations. It’s the playoffs. It’s two teams fighting for something. There is no one way a series is supposed to go. As you’ve seen over the course of history, and as you’re seeing in the playoffs now. At the end of the day, have no expectations about how it’s going to go. Just be ready to give the environment what it needs and do whatever it takes to win, for however long it takes to win.”
The latest on Jrue Holiday
Jrue Holiday, who remains day-to-day with a right hamstring strain, was not seen on the floor when the court was open to the media after practice, but Mazzulla said he was able to practice.
“He was able to do everything that we worked on,” Joe Mazzulla said. “He’s getting better every day.”
The 34-year-old guard was sidelined for the final three games of Boston’s first-round series against Orlando. He has been effective against the Knicks this season, scoring in double figures in all three games and averaging 16.0 points on 66.7% shooting from the field and 57.1% from deep, along with 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals. His lowest-scoring game against New York was 14 points. Boston is 54-3 all-time (including playoffs) when Holiday scores 14 or more.
The six-time All-Defensive guard will play a significant role in Boston’s efforts to slow down New York’s All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, who averaged 26.8 points on 52.8% shooting from the field and 43.3% from three, along with 5.3 assists against Boston this season.
“You just can’t do it with one guy, right? It takes a team. It takes different matchups. It takes different coverages,” Mazzulla said on defending Brunson. “But, there’s got to be a level of physicality, a level of discipline, a level of attention to detail on tendencies. If you add up all the points, there are a number of points to which you can work to be disciplined and work to control. But, at the same time. He’s a great player, and he’s going to make plays. So, to me, that’s where the margins are so important. If you put yourself in a position where you don’t impact the margins at a high level, players of his caliber, who can get to his spot and get to the free throw line, put you in a tougher spot. So you have to defend him as a team. You have to be disciplined in your tendencies. Have to do a great job on the margins.”
Speaking of Holiday, he won the 2024-25 NBA Sportsmanship Award
Earlier this week, Holiday was named the recipient of the 2024-25 NBA Sportsmanship Award, becoming the first Celtics player to win the honor since its inception in the 1995-96 season.
“He’s a great guy. Someone that you look up to,” Derrick White said. “He just does it all the right way. He doesn’t want any of the praise or recognition. But he’s definitely one of the best people in this game. Obviously, he’s a great player, but the person he is is unbelievable. I’ve learned so much from him and his family. It’s great having him on our team.”
It’s the second time Holiday has earned the award (the first in 2020-21 with Milwaukee), making him just the fifth player to win it multiple times. He joins Mike Conley (four-time winner), Grant Hill (three-time winner), Jason Kidd (two-time winner), and Kemba Walker (two-time winner).
“Just a very selfless human being,” Mazzulla said. “Always trying to be a great teammate, not only to the guys in the locker room but to his wife, to his kids, to the community. I think there are a lot of guys on our team who deserve that award, but I’m glad that he got it. And he deserves it, just because of the consistency of who he is, regardless of the environment that he’s in.”
Jaylen Brown is trending in the right direction
Jaylen Brown appeared on the Celtics’ injury report for the final three games of the first-round series as he continued to manage a lingering knee issue.
Still, he suited up for all five games, averaging 23.0 points on 49.4% shooting (44.4% from three), 7.6 rebounds (a playoff career-high), 2.4 assists, and 1.2 steals. He also logged two double-doubles, tying his career high for a single postseason.
In Game 2, Brown became just the fifth player in Celtics playoff history to record at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a postseason game, joining Larry Bird (9x), Jayson Tatum (4x), John Havlicek (3x), and Paul Pierce (2x).
“I felt like [the first round] went well for me personally and for our group. For me, just trying to trend back into the direction of being 100% and just physically holding my ground, etc., still making plays for our team. Even with guys being out,” Brown said. “I feel decent. But now I’m moving forward – A whole different ballgame, different team, different challenges, so my focus is fixed on that.”
As the Celtics prepare for Round 2, Brown says his knee is heading in the right direction.
“I’m taking it one day at a time, but I think so. I’m starting to turn the curve,” he said. “I think structurally, everything is fine. I’ve had some other stuff going on, but I think I’m kind of trending in the right direction.”
Kristaps Porzingis is ready for a bounce-back
Kristaps Porzingis struggled to find his rhythm in Boston’s first-round series against Orlando, shooting just 35.2% from the field (19-of-54) and 11.8% from beyond the arc (2-of-17). Defensively, the Magic converted on 50% of their shots (36-of-72) when matched up against him. After the series, Porzingis didn’t hesitate to call out his own performance.
“Coming out of the series, I’m happy we got it done in five. As I said before, I don’t think we played our best basketball. I think some players – like, JT played really well. We had some good moments and stuff,” he said. “But overall, we can play a lot better, especially myself. That’s the feeling that I have from that series. And it’s good we got it done pretty quickly to get a few extra days for guys to rest their bodies, myself included, to heal everything and go into this series in better shape than we went into the last one.”
Porzingis should have a better matchup against his former team. He averaged 24.5 points on 50% shooting (17-of-34) and 45.5% from deep (10-of-22) in two games against the Knicks this season, along with 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 1.0 steal. That scoring average tied his highest against any opponent he faced more than once, matching his numbers vs. Brooklyn. He’s looking forward to the chance to face his old team.
“I think I just always love playing there,” he said. “Honestly, I love playing there on the road. The first couple of games were pretty crazy there, getting booed and stuff, but I think now the time has passed, and it’s not as recent anymore, and I’ve changed a couple of teams already also. So from that perspective, it’s just whatever, but I love playing there, honestly.”
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