2025 NBA PLAYOFFS East Semifinals: #2 Boston Celtics vs #3 New York Knicks (NYK leads 2-0)

[omerome]

weren’t knicks up 3-1 on pistons and blew it at home and then almost ended up in a game 7?

Yep. We're actually 5-0 on the road so far, which meant the Pistons took 2 from us at home. We gotta protect home court. I also think we haven't closed out a playoff series at home forever...

Still, I'd rather be where we are at this point.

nervous crowd monday if we win game 3…

An upset or disappointed crowd, yes. But nervous? Nah. The Knicks have played better on the road (5-0), so if they get a split, it's 3-1.

Also, if OG and Brunson play better and score more than the 5 and 17 points last game, it will be a long night for the C's. Home games are usually where the role players step up a little more. So we'll see.

[tamaraw08]

Listen, I love the guy, and I'm rooting for the Knicks, but JB did not play well in either game. He was clutch in the end, thankfully.

He wasn't bad in game 1, but yeah, shooting wise, he wasn't great in game 2.

He’s not there yet. Sometimes Brunson takes some time to ramp up during a playoff series.

It’s also been super physical though. I was surprised at the amount of free throws being doled out in OKC-Denver yesterday.

give some credit to Jrue Holiday, one the best current POA defenders in the league.
I love this team sport bec other teammates really step up just to win this game.
Hart dropped 23,
KAT increased his output from 14 to 21 and Bridges scored most, if not all of his 14 points in the 4th quarter.

[3ddman23]

Nah they’re finished. Losses like the past 2 screw with you psychologically.

I highly doubt the Celtics get sweeped. I think they for sure are winning 1 in NY.

Yea but did you think the Knicks would have taken both in Bos?

Absolutely not. But let's not act like these aren't eh defending champs and one of the most potent offense when there shoots are falling. You remember when they came back from a 3-0 deficit vs Miami to tie it 3-3 (I get they lost game 7, with the shoots not falling once again), two playoffs ago right? All it takes is for some shoots to start falling and thinks can change very quickly. They were up 20 in both of these games not shooting the ball very well from 3.

[___Rand___]

[cgf]

I have a hard time believing the knicks d is causing all of this

Read on Twitter

knicks d has fought hard but this has been lot of self inflicted stuff

Like most things in life, it’s likely an all of the above situation. Boston is missing some shots they shouldn’t miss, but they are also missing some shots they just shouldn’t take…and the refs have swallowed their whistles a lot this postseason, which is dragging down everyone’s shooting splits.

How much of that is the Celtics’ dogmatically sticking to their ideology, betraying them; vs how much is on Thibs and the Knicks making Boston work so much harder for any other kind of looks but these rushed zero-penetration threes, is a fair question.

But it’s hard not to imagine that having to deal with OG / Mikal / Robinson / McBride / Hart, is making this tired looking Boston team want to take the easy way out. Even if they’re shooting worse than they should be taking the shots we want them too be taking.

Especially given that even when they’ve gotten the Jays isolated on Brunson & Towns…like every talking head said you would hunt mercilessly…they’re not getting great looks or attacking them correctly to take advantage of their limitations.

[cgf]

Weren’t you supposed to give us your best punch in game two? I felt like we had you when it got to halftime without you burying us with your season on the line.

With the home cooking going our way in the next two, not sure how you guys stop Karl

weren’t knicks up 3-1 on pistons and blew it at home and then almost ended up in a game 7?

Yep. We're actually 5-0 on the road so far, which meant the Pistons took 2 from us at home. We gotta protect home court. I also think we haven't closed out a playoff series at home forever...

Still, I'd rather be where we are at this point.

Jalen just likes ending teams on their home court. We spotted the 6ers a game just so we could end them in Philly last year, as well

[Wolfgang630]

Go NY Go NY Go

[cgf]

Yep. We're actually 5-0 on the road so far, which meant the Pistons took 2 from us at home. We gotta protect home court. I also think we haven't closed out a playoff series at home forever...

Still, I'd rather be where we are at this point.

nervous crowd monday if we win game 3…

Is it? the celtics were heavily favoured in this series. Very few people thought the knicks would even get 2 wins. I don't think the knicks should be feeling any pressure.

People outside may had no belief in them, but if the team didn’t have belief in their chances they wouldn’t have won either of those games. So they absolutely will feel pressure to capitalize on this great start and put Boston away while we’ve got them on the ropes.

Luckily Brunson & co. excel under pressure…which is why they’ve been such a dominant fourth quarter team so far…but there will absolutely be heat on them not to let this slip through our fingers like we did last season’s 2-0 lead in the second round.

[cgf]

nervous crowd monday if we win game 3…

Is it? the celtics were heavily favoured in this series. Very few people thought the knicks would even get 2 wins. I don't think the knicks should be feeling any pressure.

Knicks are playing with house money. Even if they drop the next 4, they still performed better than people thought they would.

If the team had such a soft mindset, they wouldn’t have gotten past Detroit. This group can’t be content with what they’ve already accomplished, they need to stay hungry to finish the job.

[cgf]

Crazy how Celtics can get to the rim at will - but settles for 3s all game lol except when down late in the game

If they are able to get past OG or Bridges on the perimeter, they then have to deal with Mitchell Robinson lurking in the post. If anything, that's a reason why they are thinking twice.

Those jumpshots feel different when an option is taken away.

Yeah Boston isn’t running good actions to generate their looks. They’re jumping at the first ok look they can find, nobody will shoot their best like that.

[cgf]

nervous crowd monday if we win game 3…

Is it? the celtics were heavily favoured in this series. Very few people thought the knicks would even get 2 wins. I don't think the knicks should be feeling any pressure.

you don’t think you start getting nervous about 2-2 down 8 game 4 if you’re down 2-1?

A lot of teams would, but probably not this group with Jalen Brunson to stabilize them. These Knicks have been fantastic in crunchtime all season.

[tsherkin]

Crazy how Celtics can get to the rim at will - but settles for 3s all game lol except when down late in the game

If they are able to get past OG or Bridges on the perimeter, they then have to deal with Mitchell Robinson lurking in the post. If anything, that's a reason why they are thinking twice.

Those jumpshots feel different when an option is taken away.

Yeah Boston isn’t running good actions to generate their looks. They’re jumping at the first ok look they can find, nobody will shoot their best like that.

And they're sloppy sloppy sloppy with the ball and with their passes. Tatum blew two different passes in transition in the 4th quarter, for example. And Brown looked.. loose and careless.

[KnicksGadfly]

Yep. We're actually 5-0 on the road so far, which meant the Pistons took 2 from us at home. We gotta protect home court. I also think we haven't closed out a playoff series at home forever...

Still, I'd rather be where we are at this point.

nervous crowd monday if we win game 3…

An upset or disappointed crowd, yes. But nervous? Nah. The Knicks have played better on the road (5-0), so if they get a split, it's 3-1.

Also, if OG and Brunson play better and score more than the 5 and 17 points last game, it will be a long night for the C's. Home games are usually where the role players step up a little more. So we'll see.

Have no problem saying that Knicks fans get nervous. Check out our game threads...we live and die by the possession. The Garden is going to be rocking in G3 though. The crowd is going to bring it.

Nervousness from the Knicks side though? We know Brunson is never afraid of the moment. Mikal has been a complete revelation in the 4th quarter. Josh Hart is actually a really clutch player too. Even KAT and OG have had their clutch moments this playoffs.

The one thing I'm excited about this series is that the Knicks bench is in play. McBride looked awful against Detroit. Mitch took some time to ramp up too.

[life_saver]

I think Celtics will win 1 of the next 2 games and win G5 but Knicks will wrap up the series in G6 at home.

[dWadeOwnzYou]

The Celtics need to change their offensive philosophy and indentity. They've been playing with fire with that three ball for way too long and its getting caught up to them. This was the same team that lost to the low seeded Heats team twice from a few years back.

[Capn'O]

nervous crowd monday if we win game 3…

Is it? the celtics were heavily favoured in this series. Very few people thought the knicks would even get 2 wins. I don't think the knicks should be feeling any pressure.

People outside may had no belief in them, but if the team didn’t have belief in their chances they wouldn’t have won either of those games. So they absolutely will feel pressure to capitalize on this great start and put Boston away while we’ve got them on the ropes.

Luckily Brunson & co. excel under pressure…which is why they’ve been such a dominant fourth quarter team so far…but there will absolutely be heat on them not to let this slip through our fingers like we did last season’s 2-0 lead in the second round.

Honestly, I didn't know they had this in them. They didn't play this way at all during the regular season and then Detroit was a tougher matchup than I think even we realized. This looks like a completely different team.

Boston ain't the only ones who can play regular season possum.



On that note, the Cs are missing shots they usually make (so are we!) but I don't think that can be separated from the overall pressure. Miss a millisecond and we're closing out.

[MrPainfulTruth]

Has anyone posted this Caren yet?

Read on Twitter

[cgf]

Is it? the celtics were heavily favoured in this series. Very few people thought the knicks would even get 2 wins. I don't think the knicks should be feeling any pressure.

People outside may had no belief in them, but if the team didn’t have belief in their chances they wouldn’t have won either of those games. So they absolutely will feel pressure to capitalize on this great start and put Boston away while we’ve got them on the ropes.

Luckily Brunson & co. excel under pressure…which is why they’ve been such a dominant fourth quarter team so far…but there will absolutely be heat on them not to let this slip through our fingers like we did last season’s 2-0 lead in the second round.

Honestly, I didn't know they had this in them. They didn't play this way at all during the regular season and then Detroit was a tougher matchup than I think even we realized. This looks like a completely different team.

Boston ain't the only ones who can play regular season possum.

I wish I could say I knew they had this in them with certainty…but I always thought it was very possible if we got our top 7 healthy for the playoffs, and that the gap was closer than people made it out to be. It’s why I’ve been arguing we were the 4th best team in the league on here throughout the regular season, and that the Knicks / Pacers / Wolves, would make those top 3 earn it if we hit them with our respective A-games.

But I also expected that Detroit matchup to be exactly as tough as it was…saw an old post of mine today where I said I thought we’d beat them “in 5 or 6 grueling battles”…because I thought the pistons could’ve done what they did this year, last year; if Cade hadn’t gotten hurt, Bogey hadn’t gotten washed up, & Monte had given a f***.

So that series…and the way the first 4 games of that Orlando - Boston series echoed it, as well as the way Indy / Minny bodied the Bucks & Lakers, like I thought they would…actually made me feel more confident in my read of this playoff field.


Though I may be underestimating how much the league will let the warriors get away with in the playoffs…especially now that Steph is hurt…in counting them out.

[Capn'O]

Has anyone posted this Caren yet?

Read on Twitter

That one guard came over and was like "they ain't pay me enough" and left.

[Capn'O]

People outside may had no belief in them, but if the team didn’t have belief in their chances they wouldn’t have won either of those games. So they absolutely will feel pressure to capitalize on this great start and put Boston away while we’ve got them on the ropes.

Luckily Brunson & co. excel under pressure…which is why they’ve been such a dominant fourth quarter team so far…but there will absolutely be heat on them not to let this slip through our fingers like we did last season’s 2-0 lead in the second round.

Honestly, I didn't know they had this in them. They didn't play this way at all during the regular season and then Detroit was a tougher matchup than I think even we realized. This looks like a completely different team.

Boston ain't the only ones who can play regular season possum.

I wish I could say I knew they had this in them with certainty…but I always thought it was very possible if we got our top 7 healthy for the playoffs, and that the gap was closer than people made it out to be. It’s why I’ve been arguing we were the 4th best team in the league on here throughout the regular season, and that the Knicks / Pacers / Wolves, would make those top 3 earn it if we hit them with our respective A-games.

But I also expected that Detroit matchup to be exactly as tough as it was…saw an old post of mine today where I said I thought we’d beat them “in 5 or 6 grueling battles”…because I thought the pistons could’ve done what they did this year, last year; if Cade hadn’t gotten hurt, Bogey hadn’t gotten washed up, & Monte had given a f***.

So that series…and the way the first 4 games of that Orlando - Boston series echoed it, as well as the way Indy / Minny bodied the Bucks & Lakers, like I thought they would…actually made me feel more confident in my read of this playoff field.


Though I may be underestimating how much the league will let the warriors get away with in the playoffs…especially now that Steph is hurt…in counting them out.

Well, I think the majority of the "Fire Thibs" mantra came because it was readily apparent that the team could perform better and harder than it was, even with Mitch out. We just didn't know they were waiting

We're not used to a team that wins and isn't leaving everything out there in every win. Especially going back to the 90s.