Concern for the Boston Celtics among NBA types ranged from mild to none at all on the morning after the New York Knicks took them down in Game 1.
Taken a certain way, if the Knicks felt disrespected coming into this conference semifinal series, that motivational spur could be even sharper as they approach Wednesday’s rematch in Boston.
But as one league coach put it in a conversation Tuesday with Heavy Sports, “No one’s got anything bad to say about (the Knicks); they squeeze everything they can out of what they have. It’s just that they don’t have as much as Boston, and, in this league, that almost always shows out over a series. This ain’t hockey, where a hot goalie can steal a series.”
That said, the Knicks probably wouldn’t mind getting into an exchange of body checks over these next games. While they didn’t always get into the Celtics’ air space in Game 1, they may have gotten into the hosts’ collective head.
‘We Could Just See the Knicks Getting More Energy With Every 3 the Celtics Missed’
The Celts did set an NBA playoff record with 45 missed 3-pointers, but league tracking showed that 56 of their 60 attempts from beyond the arc were either open or wide open (four or more feet away from the nearest defender).
“You’ve got to give at least some of the credit for those misses to New York,” said a veteran scout. “Even though shots were open, it felt like some were late in the clock and maybe rushed a little. But what worried me more for Boston is that they kept firing away when they were so able to get to the hoop and get the Knicks into foul trouble.
“The Knicks started coming back from that (20-point) deficit, and Boston was like, ‘Oh, we’ll just hit another 3 and they’ll go away.’ But that just made it worse. A few of us were in the office, and we could just see the Knicks getting more energy with every 3 the Celtics missed.”
His point about the preponderance of treys is well taken. Of the 20 shots the Celtics attempted in the third quarter, 19 of them were 3’s. They didn’t get to the free throw line a single time (the Knicks were called for just one foul in the frame), and the aforementioned 20-point advantage was carved to nine entering the fourth inning.
“You see them coming back, you start taking the ball to the goal and settling things down,” said the coach quoted above. “Instead, they kept shooting from out there. I thought Boston had gotten over that kind of stuff. They were a smarter team last year, which is why they won it.
“And if they’re smart now — which I think they are — this is the kind of reminder that’ll help them keep their s*** together the rest of the way.”
That “way” resumes Wednesday. The real games are upon us, and Game 1 home losses by the two teams with better records than Boston, the Thunder and Cavaliers, show that no one is immune to receiving a shot to the solar plexus right after the opening bell.
One Exec Says the Knicks ‘Are the Kind of Team That Could Give Boston Real Trouble’
There has been change and a measure of settling in since the season began seven months ago. But as regards this Boston-New York duel, it’s interesting to recall what was being said on this page before the two met for the opener last October.
This from a league exec: “I think the Knicks are the kind of team that could give Boston real trouble in the playoffs. That first five is good enough to beat them in a series if they can make it a fistfight. … I just wonder if New York has the depth they’re going to need. But that’s miles away.”
And this from an Eastern Conference personnel guy: “If (Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau) can get that team to the playoffs healthy and in reasonable condition, I think they’re set up to give Boston trouble in a tight series. They’ve got tough guys who are really good in a possession for possession game. If it’s a game where both teams have to use a lot of clock each time down, New York has guys who can make plays.
“That probably won’t matter if Boston plays to its ability, but they had trouble with that the two years before against Miami and the Warriors.”
Similarly, the feeling from those speaking with Heavy Sports is that the Celtics should be able to weather this storm.
On Tuesday, the coach offered a light chuckle as he was concluding the call.
“The funny thing,” he said, “is that we’re sitting here talking about all the stuff Boston did wrong… and they lost by just three points. In overtime. What does that tell you?”
