Celtics Knicks Postgame Recap



The Celtics fall to 0-2 after a 105-95 loss to the New York Knicks. After the first quarter the Celtics were never in the game, at one point being down by as much as 24 points. While they were at a massive talent discrepancy, there were some things to be concerned about going forward. 

In the first quarter, we saw 10 total players get minutes. It was clear early on that Joe Mazzulla wanted a deeper rotation of players than what he had used in previous years. Initially, this strategy worked, winning the quarter 30-22. 

In the second quarter, however, is when the floodgates opened, losing the quarter 42-14 and going into halftime down 64-44. The offense was not sharp, committing 5 turnovers and making just 4 shots, but this team has endured rough stretches in the past. 

This time, they did not have the talent or the size to make up for it. A big reason why the Knicks dominated in the 2nd quarter was the size advantage, grabbing 7 offensive rebounds, which resulted in 12 second-chance points. 

In the second half the defense was much better, allowing just 41 points on 36% shooting while forcing 12 turnovers, but it was already too late. With the starters struggling to generate consistent offense, the deficit was too big to climb out of.

                                  The good

The defense outside of the 2nd quarter was promising. Allowing 105 points in a game where 42 of them came in one quarter shows there is work to be done, but there is a foundation. 

Chris Boucher played an excellent defensive game, recording 4 blocks, deterring countless other shots at the basket, and making great closeouts on the perimeter. For the game, the Celtics forced 20 turnovers while holding the Knicks to 38% shooting from the floor.

Offensively, Sam Hauser kept the team in the game with timely threes, going 6/10 from deep, and Anfernee Simons showed more of his scoring ability with multiple 1-on-1 buckets. 

                             The bad

While the defense was fine for 3 quarters, the 2nd quarter being as awful as it was cost them the game. In both games the Celtics have played, they have allowed a 42-point quarter.

 For the game, the Knicks recorded 21 offensive rebounds, which led to 21 second-chance points. In a 10-point loss, these possessions were crucial. 

This can also cause problems on offense because the Celtics cannot get going on the fast break for easy buckets, instead having to resort to a primarily half-court offense. 

For the game, the Celtics only managed to get 2 fast break points. Nearly all of their points were well earned, making it difficult to sustain as the game goes on. 

Nearly everyone played poorly on offense, but the Celtics backcourt duo of Payton Pritchard and Derrick White was particularly awful, combining 7/28 from the floor and 4/18 from three. 

Jaylen Brown also had his struggles, resorting back to his tunnel vision tendencies, which led to 7 turnovers. For the game, the team recorded 16 turnovers ,which led to 15 fast break points for the Knicks. 

                              Conclusion

This game came down to 3 aspects: turnovers, fast break points, and second chance points. In two of these areas, the Celtics were dominated, leading them to lose handily. 

Being such a small team is going to be a challenge, and this game showed firsthand how it can affect them. If they can protect the ball and improve the rebounding, they will be ok, but if not, there will be more games that looked like last night. 

The Celtics will travel to Detroit to take on the Pistons on Sunday afternoon. With an opponent that is closer in weight class, we will see if the Celtics can find their footing after an 0-2 start.  

 




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