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Tatum takes responsibility for struggles vs. Knicks: ‘I need to be better' originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics need a much better performance from Jayson Tatum in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series versus the New York Knicks to avoid an 0-3 deficit.

The Celtics lost both of the first two games at home, including a 91-90 defeat Wednesday night in Game 2 at TD Garden.

Tatum scored just 13 points on 5-for-29 shooting in Game 2. He was unable to get a shot off in the final seconds with Boston trailing by one point.

Through two games, Tatum has scored 36 points on 12-for-42 shooting (5-for-20 on 3-pointers) with eight turnovers. He also has struggled when the Celtics have needed him most. Tatum is shooting 1-for-12 (0-for-7 from 3-point range) in the fourth quarter this series. Boston has been outscored by 12 points during Tatum’s fourth-quarter minutes.

Tatum’s struggles are pretty surprising, especially after he dominated the Orlando Magic (who had the No. 2 ranked defense this season) for 31 points per game in the first round.

Tatum took responsibility for his struggles at a press conference Thursday.

“I take full ownership for the way that I’ve played in this series,” Tatum told reporters. “Can’t sugarcoat anything. I need to be better. And I expect to be a lot better.”

The good news for Tatum and the Celtics is that he has played very well at Madison Square Garden in his career, especially this season.

Tatum averaged 36 points on 50 percent shooting (44 percent on 3-pointers) in two games at MSG during the regular season. He dropped 40 points on the Knicks in a 27-point win on Feb. 8. He also hit some clutch shots in the overtime win on April 8.

The Celtics have won four straight games and five of their last six at MSG, with their last loss in New York coming in the 2022-23 season.

Game 3 is pretty much a must-win matchup for the Celtics. No team in NBA playoff history has ever won a series after trailing 0-3. For the Celtics to avoid that dire situation, they need a huge bounce-back performance from Tatum on Saturday afternoon.

“We have a way that we play,” Tatum said. “We have an identity, and it can’t waver just because we missing shots. We can’t change who we are. And I always say, you got to be the same person when things are going well and when things aren’t going well.

“It’s not about our season being two games from over. Like, that hasn’t crossed any of our minds.”

Spencer recalls favorite Steph moment as Warriors teammates originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Pat Spencer can’t help but be amazed by Steph Curry’s astounding shooting and workout routines.

As one of the newest members of the Warriors squad, Spencer was asked what has impressed him the most about being teammates with Curry this season.

“I think you just become a little bit numb to the shooting,” Spencer said on “The Young Man and the Three” podcast. “I think you just expect the ball to go in, that’s the craziest part for me. Just watching him work out is the most eye-opening.

“Steph works out the way he plays. He’s the kind of guy who, how he’s shooting in games is how he’s shooting at practice. He’ll start on one side of the court, sprint to the other side and get one shot. I don’t know too many NBA guys who are doing full-court shooting drills on a daily basis.”

No shooter in NBA history has come close to Curry’s incredible shooting performances, and the rest of the league has tried to adjust. Now, teams play aggressive defense on the 37-year-old from the moment he gets the ball, trying to slow him down and prevent him from making long-range shots. Even when playing off the ball, Curry faces an onslaught of defenders trying all they can to stop him.

Spencer then was asked for his thoughts on Curry’s unreal physical conditioning, allowing him to sprint down the court and easily make wild shots.

“Just the ability to run nonstop and still be as precise as he is as a shooter,” Spencer said. “His endurance is off the hook. To be able to deal with all of that [aggressive defense] and still be a 44-percent shooter or whatever his numbers are is just absurd.”

Spencer and the rest of Golden State will need to figure out how to replace Curry’s production, as the latter is out with a hamstring strain for at least a week.

In what could be a tough matchup in the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Warriors will need Spencer and company to channel their inner Curry to win three more games and advance to the next round.

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The Knicks erased a 20-point deficit for the second game in a row, triumphing over the Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in Boston.

Here's how the New York City back pages reacted...

The back page: DEJA TWO!

Bridges steal seals another miracle comeback from down 20 as Knicks stun Celts again

Read more: https://t.co/V9PtVhwTOepic.twitter.com/sNobcVv2Eq

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) May 8, 2025

I’m gonna go get the papers, get the papers: back page edition. pic.twitter.com/b8PFwcw2Gv

— Robert Shields (@rshields37) May 8, 2025

BOSTON - It was only fitting that it ended this way, with Mikal Bridges and OG Anunobysuffocating Jayson Tatum on the baseline Wednesday night.

"Great feeling," Bridges said late Wednesday.

He and Anunoby were the face of the Knicks’ struggles against the Celtics in the regular season. But in the final seconds of Game 2, Anunoby and Bridges forced Tatum into a turnover to seal another improbable win. 

You’d think that that kind of moment would lead to wild celebrations in the Knicks locker room. They had come back from 20-point deficits in back-to-back road playoff games against the defending champs.

But there was no party in the visitor’s locker room at TD Garden on Wednesday.

Instead, the Knicks sounded like a team that knew it needed to play better to finish off the defending champs.

"We’ve got to watch the film, see where we can get better," Anunoby said. "…. I don’t think we’ve played as well as we can."

Josh Hart echoed those thoughts.

"We have to continue to build. We have to continue to put together a full game. I think that’s something that we haven’t done during the course of these playoffs," he said after scoring a game-high 23 points. "We get leads. We surrender leads. We come back from big leads. We’ve got to figure out (how to put together) a complete game."

The Knicks will have the chance to do that on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

"I’m scared to see when we put it together on defense and let that push the offense and get dangerous," PJ Tucker said.

Even though they’re the lower seed, the odds are heavily in New York’s favor at this point. Ninety-three percent of the 463 teams who had 2-0 series leads in the NBA playoffs went on to win that series.

They don’t get to this position without another remarkable performance from Bridges.

For the second straight game, he shook off poor shooting to play a significant role in the Knicks’ comeback.

Bridges missed his first eight shots in Game 2 but then hit six of 10 in the fourth quarter. His 14 points in the final frame helped spark New York’s comeback.

What kept Bridges locked in during the first three quarters?

"Just everything with my teammates, man… It’s really, truly been them just holding me together and keeping me mentally right and just telling me to keep going," said Bridges, who hit a huge three-pointer late in Game 1 after missing 10 of his first 12 shots."And I think coach also is just trusting me — coming out in the fourth, running a play for me, putting that confidence in me. But man, it’s really my teammates and my coaches, man. They really held me up."

Bridges and Anunoby forced Tatum into the game-sealing turnover on Wednesday. But the play doesn’t materialize without fantastic defense from Mitchell Robinson.

Robinson stayed in front of Tatum while guarding him one-on-one off of a switch. He forced Tatum to his right and Anunoby and Bridges took over.

Just like the Knicks wings, this was a fitting ending to a great night for Robinson. The team’s longest tenured player finished with eight rebounds and three steals in Game 2, wrecking the game again and again for the Celtics. Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla was intentionally fouling Robinson again to try to get him off the floor.

"That makes me feel like a threat," Robinson said afterward.

The Knicks could have traded for a veteran center at the 2024 deadline. Robinson was still rehabbing from offseason foot surgery at the time. But they chose to stick with Robinson, betting that the homegrown center could make it all the way back from his injury.

It was a risky bet, but it’s certainly paid off.

"Mitch was all over the floor," Tom Thibodeau said after the win. "Guarding, switching – just a great impact."

Path to a comeback: Four ways the Celtics can beat Knicks on the road originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics came into their Eastern Conference semifinals series versus the New York Knicks as heavy favorites. And it made sense — Boston is the defending champ and dominated the regular season series versus New York with a 4-0 record.

The Knicks struggled beating good teams all season and were just an OK road team.

But the Knicks shocked the basketball world this week by winning both of the first two games in Boston, including a 91-90 victory Wednesday night in Game 2. Now they have a chance to take a commanding 3-0 lead Saturday afternoon when the series shifts to Madison Square Garden.

How can the Celtics get back in the series after two crushing losses in which they blew leads of 20-plus points?

Here are four areas of emphasis:

Don’t worry about Mitchell Robinson

There are times when “Hack-a-Robinson” is a good strategy. Robinson is an atrocious free throw shooter. He’s 4-for-11 in the series and shooting 26.7 percent from the free throw line in the playoffs.

But it doesn’t make any sense to put your team on the verge of being in the penalty just to put him on the line or get him off the floor. That’s what the Celtics did late in the fourth quarter of Game 2. The C’s had two fouls to give with 2:41 left in the game and they committed two take fouls on Robinson. The second one was the Celtics’ fourth team foul, which meant the next foul would put the Knicks at the free throw line.

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was going to sub out Robinson after the first take foul, but kept him in to see if the C’s would foul him again, which they did. Then he took out Robinson.

Here is Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla’s explanation for fouling Robinson twice wth under three minutes to play:

When Robinson exited, OG Anunoby came in. Anunoby is an elite defensive player and capable of hitting 3-pointers. The Celtics should want Robinson on the floor over Anunoby at all times.

Robinson is a very good defensive player. He’s a strong rebounder and the best shot blocker on the Knicks. He makes an impact, there’s no doubt about that. But he’s mostly a non-factor offensively, which allows the Celtics to double and put more pressure on other Knicks players on defense.

Robinson also is someone the Celtics can hunt on the perimeter by getting him matched up on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on pick-and-rolls. Tatum and Brown are both quicker than Robinson and can drive to the basket against him.

Hack-a-Robinson works in the right situations. But not late in the game when it puts you close to the penalty. The Celtics need to worry about their own offensive issues and less about whether Robinson is on the floor.

Switch OG Anunoby off of Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum played like a superstar in the first round against the Magic. He scored an average of 31.3 points with 11.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. He’s played nowhere near that level in the second round.

Tatum is averaging 18 points on 12-for-42 shooting (5-for-20 on 3-pointers). In Game 2, Tatum scored just 13 points on 5-for-19 shooting.

After an awful 3-point shooting display in Game 1, Tatum attempted more of his shots from two-point range in Game 2. But even then, he settled for too many contested mid-range field goals (see shot chart below). He didn’t get to the basket enough, evidenced by his two free throw attempts.

One reason for Tatum’s lackluster scoring in this series is OG Anunoby. The Knicks forward held Tatum to 4-for-16 shooting in the regular season, and he’s continued that success in this series. Tatum is shooting 1-for-7 versus Anunoby through two games.

Anunoby spent 8:26 as the primary defender on Tatum in Game 2 and Boston’s superstar attempted only one shot. Anunoby was all over Tatum on the final play of the game, forcing a turnover that sealed the Celtics’ loss.

Mikal Bridges guarded Tatum a bunch during the four regular season matchups and Tatum scored 35 points on 13-for-19 shooting versus the Knicks wing. The Knicks made an adjustment going into Round 2 to make Anunoby the primary defender on Tatum, and it’s working great for them.

The Celtics must do everything they can, whether it’s the pick-and-roll or something else, to get Anunoby away from Tatum as often as possible. They’ve done it a few times in the series, which resulted in Tatum getting Jalen Brunson or Mitchell Robinson in a switch.

That’s the kind of matchup hunting the Celtics must do in Game 3.

Lean on road success

The Celtics were a historically great road team this season, setting a franchise record with 33 victories. In fact, their 33-8 road record was tied for the second-best in league history.

Boston ranked No. 2 in offensive rating, defensive rating and net rating away from home during the regular season.

They also went 2-0 against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden — a 27-point win on Feb. 8 and a two-point win in overtime on April 8. Jayson Tatum averaged 36 points on 50 percent shooting in those two road wins.

Furthermore, the Celtics are 13-6 in New York since 2016, and they’ve won four straght and five of their last six at MSG. Boston’s last loss in New York came in the 2022-23 season.

Meanwhile, the Knicks are 1-2 at home in the playoffs.

The Celtics are a great road team, and that should give them plenty of confidence entering Game 3 despite the rough start to the series.

Knock down 3-point shots

Seems obvious, right? It’s a make or miss league, and unfortunately for the Celtics, they’ve missed a ton of open shots in this series that they normally make.

The Celtics were actually the most prolific 3-point shooting team in league history during the regular season, setting records for most 3-pointers made and attempted.

They made only 10 3-pointers on 40 attempts in Game 2. It was a huge outlier for them, because during the regular season, the C’s made 10 or fewer 3-point shots in just three of their 82 games.

Through two games against the Knicks, the Celtics are shooting 25 percent (25-for-100) from beyond the arc. That’s 11.8 percent worse than their regular season average, which is a huge dropoff. The Celtics are shooting at least 10 percent worse in the playoffs compared to the regular season on pretty much every type of 3-pointer imaginable.

Despite missing a record amount of 3-pointers, the Celtics still only lost Game 1 by three points and Game 2 by one point. If they missed 72 3-pointers instead of 75, they could easily be up 2-0 in the series.

The Celtics are a much better outside shooting team than they’ve shown against the Knicks. It’s hard to imagine these 3-point shooting woes extending much longer. There were only four instances in the regular season in which Boston made 15 or fewer 3-pointers in consecutive games.

The turnaround needs to happen ASAP, though. No team in league history has overcome an 0-3 series deficit.