"Live by the 3, die by OG"

This series is suddenly up for grabs.

Final Score: Knicks 108 - Celtics 105
Series: 1-0

Plenty of pundits picked the Celtics to sweep the Knicks in their second-round showdown. And those experts probably felt good about their prediction midway through the third quarter of Game 1 Monday night.

With under six minutes remaining in the third, Derrick White drilled a three-pointer to extend the C's lead to a seemingly insurmountable 20 points, 77-57. Would the Knicks, disparaged for their apparent lack of toughness throughout much of the season and ridiculed for their inability to compete against the league's elite, let go of the rope?

Well, a funny thing happened on the way to another Boston blowout.

OG Anunoby knocked down a pair of 3PT's on consecutive possessions, and Jalen Brunson sank two mid-range jumpers. Although Jayson Tatum sank a couple of three-pointers to stretch the Celtics' lead back to 16, with three minutes left in the quarter, the Knicks kept punching.

Josh Hart converted a layup, and OG threw down a dunk in transition. Brunson hit a triple, and Anunoby made two free throws. Shockingly, the Knicks were within striking distance, trailing by nine points heading into the final frame.

Yet, with Brunson on the bench to begin the fourth quarter, the Celtics would pull away, just as they had done during the regular season, right?

Wrong. New York scored the first eight points of the quarter courtesy of a KAT putback sandwiched between Deuce McBride and OG treys. JB checked back into the contest and promptly swished a three-pointer with less than six minutes remaining in regulation to tie the score at 89 all.

Three minutes later, courtesy of The Captain nailing two more triples and a couple of free throws, the Knicks were up by six.

However, the Celtics went on a mini 7-0 run to regain the lead. The TD Garden was rocking, and New York was back on their heels. Could they showcase the grit that made their fanbase fall in love with the team last season?

Yup. OG banged in a trey off a beautiful Brunson pass, putting the Knicks up two, but Jrue Holiday banked in a layup on Boston's next possession to knot the score at 100. The Knicks had a great look to win the game at the buzzer, but Brunson missed a makeable floater from seven feet over Al Horford's outstretched hand.

Would the home team take advantage and make the Knicks pay? Nope.

Bridges came up with a huge steal early in overtime, which led to a monstrous and-1 dunk by Anunoby. With 2:30 remaining in OT, Bridges banged home a corner 3-pointer, putting New York up six.

Still, Boston would make it a one-possession game in the closing seconds. Towns took a risky (but smart) take-foul with three ticks left on the clock. On the subsequent inbound, Bridges snatched the ball from Jaylen Brown and snatched Game 1 for New York.

So, I guess a Celtics sweep is off the table...

Zooming out to look at the big picture, the main storyline from this contest is Boston shooting a mind-boggling 15-for-60 from behind the arc.

"Live by the 3, die by the 3" is a cliche that has been bandied about in NBA circles for decades. The Celtics (who have leaned into the 3PT revolution more than any other franchise in the league) died a slow, agonizing death in Game 1.

No team in NBA history had ever missed more than 40 three-pointers in a playoff game. The C's missed 45.

Of the 20 shots Boston took in the third quarter, 19 were from downtown. In the second half, 34 of their 41 FG attempts were from behind the arc.

While the sheer volume is incredible, seeing the Celtics let it fly early and often was not shocking. This is who they are. Remember, they shattered the all-time record for most 3PT takes and makes during the 2024-25 campaign, averaging more than 48 triple tries per game. They took more threes than twos. And they had incredible success with this strategy against New York during the regular season.

However, the difference last night was that the Knicks did a much better job defending the perimeter. As we discussed throughout the year and in the series preview post, New York got torched during the regular season by allowing the Celtics to get easy, comfortable looks from afar. This was partly because the Knicks employed drop coverage vs. Boston more frequently than any other team in the league.

Credit to Tom Thibodeau for adjusting his game plan heading into Game 1. Instead of having KAT or Mitch Rob drop into the paint on pick-and-rolls, forcing Tatum or Brown's defender to try and fight over the top of the screen, the Knicks' bigs switched on the vast majority of P&R action. The C's also consistently hunted Brunson in screens, but Thibs employed a similar approach, with JB switching out (and often retreating when possible).

In their four regular-season matchups vs. Boston, the Knicks never switched more than 18 pick-and-rolls in any game. Per Synergy Tracking (h/t Jared Durin), New York switched R&Rs a total of 33 times last night (their highest number, by far, in any game this season),

The Celtics' stars were still able to get decent looks in isolation against slow-footed centers, but you have to pick your poison with Boston. They are at their best when they have defenders flying all over the floor and pass with precision off of cuts and movement to find open spaces.

Yet, it's important to note that Boston missed plenty of open/makeable three-pointers. It's safe to assume they'll shoot well above 25% from downtown going forward. The C's and their fans have every reason to expect a progression to the mean Wednesday night.

However, there is no denying that the Knicks' trio of Og, Bridges and Hart were incredibly disruptive by closing down driving/passing lanes in the middle of the floor and then sprinting back to shooters. Those closeouts were exceptionally crisp in the second half.

Not only did Anunoby put the clamps on Tatum for most of the evening, but he also did a phenomenal job switching onto and locking up whoever had the misfortune of crossing his path. Per NBA tracking data, the Celtics' starting five (Brown, Tatum, Porzingis, White, and Holiday) were a combined 1-of-15 when defended primarily by Anunoby.

On the season, a total of 98 possessions, Tatum is now 5-for-21 (24%) when guarded by OG. And we haven't even mentioned that Anunoby poured in 29 points.

Towns also deserves plenty of praise, as he limited Tatum, Holiday and Brown to a combined 1-of-8 shooting after switching onto them.

As noted above, Boston had a 20-point cushion midway through the third quarter. Over the final 23 minutes of the game (rest of the 3rd, entire 4th, and OT), the Knicks outscored the Celtics 53-30.

During that stretch, the C's shot just 12-of-41 from the floor (29%) and 9-of-34 from downtown (26.5%). Boston also lost the rebounding battle (22-24) and had nearly as many turnovers (7) as assists (10).

The Celtics were most efficient and effective in the second quarter when they attacked the middle of the floor. Over the final nine minutes of the first half, 11 of Boston's 12 made field goals were two-pointers. They also got to the line and made five free throws. The C's outscored NY 32-14 during that stretch, and only three of those 32 points came from downtown. (They were 12-of-22 from two and 1-of-9 from three).

The Knicks obviously still have a ton of work left to do. The Celtics are the defending champions for a reason. However, it's impossible to ignore the fact that New York is now very much a live dog in this fight.

While the C's likely won't shoot that poorly again, it's not as if the Knicks played anything close to their "A Game," as evidenced by the 20-point hole they dug for themselves. And they also almost blew the epic comeback with some late-game folly. New York must win games that are close down the stretch. This was especially true for Game 1, considering how it all played out.

Regarding the rest of the series, I think the Celtics' injury issues are a massive factor. Holiday looked sharp in his first game back, but will that hamstring hold up? Porzingis missed the second half of Game 1 due to an illness. Although we don't yet have an update on his status for Wednesday, keep in mind that KP missed eight straight games from Feb. 28 to March 14 due to a viral illness that seemed to stump Boston's medical staff. Sam Hauser rolled his ankle in the third quarter Monday night and could not return to action. He was reportedly seen leaving the arena in a walking boot.

To me, the most significant question mark is Jaylen Brown. When healthy, he's one of the Association's most explosive, dynamic athletes. Brown was hampered by a bone bruise in his right knee over the second half of the regular season, and he received pain management injections in the knee last month.

He played well in stretches vs. Orlando, and has said he is "trending in the right direction," but it was painfully obvious last night that he is far from 100%. It is difficult to understate how important Brown is to Boston on both ends of the floor. This is a guy who was named MVP of the ECF and the Finals last year.

This series is suddenly up for grabs.

Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:

🏀 Brunon could only laugh after he missed that potential game-winning floater. He also committed costly turnovers in crunch time. How dare he be human with the game on the line!

He finished the contest with "only" 29 points, four rebounds, five assists, two steals and five three-pointers. JB was just 9-of-23 from the field. Expect him to be far more efficient going forward.

🏀 Karl-Anthony Towns needed 13 FG attempts to score his 14 points, and didn't record a single assist last night, but did rip down 13 rebounds. And as detailed above, he exceeded expectations on the defensive end. KAT's +8 plus/minus was the highest among all starters

🏀 Josh Hart did Josh Hart things, racking up 14 points (5-of-9 FGs), 11 rebounds, three dimes and two steals in 45 minutes. He also provided the quote of the night: "It took us a little while to figure out how this series is gonna be. We got beat with bats for six games, so we brought our bats here (to Boston)."

🏀 What a brilliant all-around game for OG. He dominated defensively and still found time to match his playoff career-high with 29 points, to go along with four rebounds, three assists, one steal and six three-pointers in 46 minutes.

In the three games he played against Boston during the regular season, Anunoby was a combined 8-for-27 from the field for a total of 27 points. In Game 1, he was 10-of-20 for 29 points.

Dating back to the start of last postseason, the Knicks are a perfect 8-0 in playoff games in which OG Anunoby attempts 14 or more FGs. They are 4-8 when he attempts 13 or fewer FGs

🏀 It takes a special kind of player to stink up the joint for 85% of a game, then take over down the stretch. Mikal Bridges has proven he is one of those dudes. He has the gumption to make crucial plays, on both ends, down the stretch, even if he's struggled in that same game.

Before knocking down that clutch corner 3PT in overtime, Bridges had missed 10 of his first 12 FG attempts.

One of the reasons he's so valuable is that he can positively impact a game when his shots aren't falling. Bridges dished out a game-high seven assists in Game 1 and also recorded three steals and two blocks (with two of those thefts and one of those rejections coming in overtime). The way he can ratchet up his defensive intensity late in games on a night he logs 52 minutes is remarkable.

Per Basketball Reference, he became the first Knick with at least seven assists, three steals, two blocks, and two three-pointers in a playoff game.

"That's who Mikal is. He's (gotten) a lot of criticism, and he never lets that affect him," Hart told reporters after the win. "I don't know how many games down the stretch that he's won for us on the defensive side alone… He's been a huge part for this team. Sometimes those things get overlooked and people just look at stats and they lose sight of how valuable a player that he is."

🏀 Coming into this postseason, no player in Knicks franchise history had ever tallied 3+ steals, 2+ blocks, and 2+ made three-pointers in a single playoff game.

OG and Bridges have each done it twice in the past three weeks.

🏀 Welcome to the party, Deuce! After a terribly disappointing first-round showing vs. Detroit, McBride bounced back in a big way in Game 1, knocking down three triples en route to 11 points in 19 minutes. The Knicks will need more of that the rest of the series.

🏀 With KAT picking up three early fouls, Mitchell Robinson got more court time than expected in the first half. On the plus side, he corralled seven rebounds, provided solid paint protection, and was a +13 in 21 minutes.

Conversely, the Celtics employed a Hack-A-Mitch that destroyed the Knicks' offensive flow. Despite having six months to work on his stroke, Mitch Rob still looks incredibly uncomfortable at the stripe, chucking flat, line-drives at the rim. He was just 3-of-10 from the charity stripe. The most discouraging moment may have been midway through the second quarter, when Robinson rushed to give up a take foul in the backcourt to ensure he wouldn't have to step to the line anymore that half.

Precious Achiuwa, who didn't see a second in the Pistons series, played the final five minutes of the second quarter. He was understandably rusty and ineffective, missing his lone FG attempt.

Cam Payne logged just three minutes but found a way to miss two FTs.

🏀 Had the Knicks lost Game 1, the putrid free-throw shooting would have been a significant reason why. As a team, they were 17-for-31 (55%). Yes, most of those misses were from Robinson, but the rest of the club was just 14-for-21.

🏀 Kudos to Thibs for a well-coached game last night. As we discussed above, he was flexible with his defensive game plan. In addition, his end-game execution was solid (the give-and-go to get Brunson that looked at the end of regulation was brilliant).

Thibs was also solid with his substitutions all evening, particularly down the stretch. In two key defensive possessions, he subbed Deuce and Robinson in for JB and KAT. New York got stops both times.

🏀 Prior to Monday night, the last time the Knicks defeated the defending NBA champion in a playoff game was May 22, 1994 - when New York beat the Bulls (*without MJ) in Game 7 of the East semis.

🏀 The NBA began tracking play-by-play data in 1996-97. Game 1 was the first time in that span that New York had trailed by 20+ points yet came back to win a playoff game.

🏀 Brunson has now scored 77 points in the fourth quarter this postseason. That's 31 more than any other player in the NBA. Remarkably, he ranks 12th in total 4th-quarter minutes played in 2025.

Brunson is just the third player in the past 30 years to score 75+ 4Q points over the first seven games of a postseason, joining Steph Curry and Kobe Bryant.

🏀 Last night was the 12th playoff game decided by five points or less since Brunson arrived in New York. New York is 9-3 in those 12 contests.

🏀 New York's 17 made three-pointers tied the franchise record for most made treys in a playoff game.

🏀 Forty years ago, in the 1984 Finals, the legendary matchup between Magic Johnson's Lakers and Larry Bird's Celtics, the two teams combined to attempt 42 three-pointers over the entirety of the seven-game series. That 42 is both teams' combined total over 1,730 minutes. Last night, Boston attempted 60 three-pointers in one game.

🏀 Next Up:
Game 2 is Wednesday night at 7:00 pm

Buckle up!!