Close, but…

"We don't take moral victories." - Karl-Anthony Towns

Final Score: Knicks 117 - Celtics 119
Record: 50-29

Heading into Tuesday's matchup with the Celtics, there were plenty of Knicks fans inside MSG hoping the home team would be able to prove they belonged on the same court as the defending world champs.

After three embarrassing blowout losses in the first three showdowns of the season, New York did show they could compete with Boston. In fact, the Knicks put themselves in a position to win but could not seal the deal.

Behind a brilliant first half from Karl-Anthony Towns, New York jumped out to an early double-digit advantage and led by six heading into halftime. The C's punched back after the break, but the Knicks hung tough.

With ninety seconds left in regulation, OG Anunoby snatched an offensive rebound from Derrick White and powered in a putback to give NY their first lead in the fourth quarter. After forcing a turnover on the other end, Mikal Bridges drilled a 15-foot jumper to put his team up three.

Needing a stop, the Knicks made their first costly mistake in the final minute when KAT fouled Jayson Tatum as he attempted a three-pointer from the left corner. However, Tatum only made two free throws, and Josh Hart scored on a tough cutting layup to extend NY's lead back to three.

After the make, Boston inbounded the ball to Tatum, and inexplicably, the Knicks allowed him to dribble the ball the length of the floor before knocking down a tough step-back triple over OG's outstretched hand to tie the game.

New York 100% should have fouled in that situation to prevent Boston (the best three-point shooting team in the history of planet Earth) from even attempting a game-tying try.

"I should have fouled," Anunoby acknowledged after the game. "I should have known to foul."

Josh Hart echoed similar sentiments. "I think we didn't do a good enough job as a team, as players and coaching staff, of understanding the situation and making sure we came out of the timeout knowing exactly what we're going to run, exactly the scenario if we make the shot, exactly the scenario if we miss the shot," Hart said after the game. "We've got to communicate better, all of us from the top down, to make sure we understand the situation."

When asked if he ordered his players to foul, head coach Tom Thibodeau replied, "It's time and situation. They inbounded the ball quickly, he's coming at us and then if he's in the shooting motion, you're giving him the three shots. It wasn't off a dead ball situation."

While Tatum's shot wasn't immediately after a stoppage in play, a timeout was called before Hart's layup. While setting up that offensive possession, Thibs should have instructed his team on how to handle the closing seconds if they scored. If you've watched the Celtics over the past two years, you know Joe Mazzulla prefers to let the game play out in those situations instead of calling timeouts. Thibs also should have been screaming at his troops to take a foul as soon as Hart's shot dropped.

The Knicks were ill-prepared, and it cost them dearly. To beat a team like Boston, especially four times in a seven-game series, you need flawless execution down the stretch in the games you have a chance to win.

New York still had three seconds left to avoid overtime, but they had to settle for a Josh Hart three-pointer, which clanged off the back of the rim.