On Saturday, the Celtics finally got one on the board against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, holding onto a big lead for the first time in their second round series and beating New York 115-93 at Madison Square Garden.
After blowing a 20-point second half lead in two consecutive losses to the Knicks, Boston was on the ropes down 2-0 heading into Saturday. But in front of a raucous New York crowd, the Celtics looked like the Celtics again shooting 50% from three (20 of 40). This was a welcome sight for a team that has relied so heavily on shooting from distance since Joe Mazzulla took over as head coach days before the 2022-23 season began, so much so that despite some of the worst three-point shooting this franchise has seen in the modern era in games one and two - a combined 25 for 100 from beyond the arc - Boston kept firing away.
If the three-point train is back on the tracks for this Celtics’ offense, Boston fans should be feeling a lot better about this team going into game four down 2-1 than they did going into game three down 2-0.
“Do you think tonight is a must-win for the Celtics, Keefe?” WEEI’s Adam Jones asked his co-host on Jones and Keefe on Monday. “You can’t afford to split in New York, go down 3-1, have to go back to [Madison Square Garden] and win three straight games.”
“I don’t,” said WEEI’s Rich Keefe. “No, and you bullied me into saying game three was a must-win. I feel like they might be the one team that could pull off a comeback because they have been, at long stretches of the games, dominant. And to me, they’re better than the Knicks.
“Now, you’re going up against history, and now you need everything to kind of go your way to win four in a row. But can they win three in a row against this team? I would say so.”
If the midday show is putting a “must-win” label on any team for game four, it’s the team in blue and orange.
“Oh yeah, for sure a must-win for New York,” said Keefe. “Bigger for them, yes. Because now you go from being up 2-0 to being like, ‘Oh, wait a minute.’ In their mind, the series is now over.”
“If [the Knicks] lose tonight, it’s gonna be over in six,” said Jones. “If a must-win for anybody, it’s a must-win for New York. I don’t like the Celtics’ chances going down 3-1, but I wouldn’t rule out [that] they could come back. If the Knicks pee-away these two games at home, it’ll be over in six, is what it will be. And all the panic after the first two games from me and everybody else will look very foolish.”
At the time of publishing, Boston is favored to win the series down 2-1 by BetMGM at -325, with the Knicks coming in at +260 despite the advantage in wins with a home game on tap.
On the other side of the Eastern Conference bracket, the No. 4 seed Pacers are up 3-1 on the top-seeded Cavaliers after a 129-109 win in game four on Sunday night. With Indiana one win away from upsetting Cleveland, they would advance to their second-consecutive Eastern Conference Finals, awaiting the winner of Boston and New York.