Celtics’ alarming collapse to Knicks yields 2-0 series deficit

BOSTON — As the media awaited the second Celtics player press conference to begin, the TD Garden’s fire alarm was activated.

“There has been an emergency reported in this building,” an automated voice said as media members were instructed to evacuate the TD Garden, which later said in a statement that there were no injuries and an investigation was underway. It’s unclear what caused the system to go off.

Perhaps it was to ensure everyone understood the severity of the Celtics’ predicament.

As the final buzzer sounded of the Celtics’ 91-90 loss in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Knicks, many Boston fans slammed the panic button after witnessing their team lose another game in which it held a 20-point, third-quarter lead. It was the second time such an occurrence had happened over 48 hours. No team has ever lost two games when leading by 20 or more points in a single postseason dating back to 1996-97, according to NBC Sports Boston.

Wednesday was supposed to be the day that quelled any concerns about the Celtics after they missed an NBA playoff record 45 3-pointers in Game 1, largely contributing to their blown lead. Suggesting it could happen again before tip-off was fatuous at best.

That was until Boston’s 2-0 series deficit materialized.

“You just take a look at it, figure out where you have to be better and put a full 48 minutes together,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So have an understanding that it's going to be difficult, that's why we do what we do.”

Jayson Tatum brought the ball up the floor on the Celtics’ final possession, trailing 91-90 with 12.7 seconds remaining. Tatum dribbled to the right wing before he crossed over to the baseline on the opposite corner. With three Knicks swarming him, Tatum leaped into the air to pass to an open Jaylen Brown on the wing. Brown never received possession, as Mikal Bridges slapped the ball to the ground before hoisting a full-court heave to secure New York’s improbable victory.

Game 2’s fourth quarter was eerily similar to Game 1. The Celtics choked away 20-point leads in each contest, and Bridges, who stole the ball from Brown Monday, forced two turnovers on the final possessions.

“Obviously, we wouldn't like to be in this position,” Brown said, “but we're here now, so we've got to respond.”

Tatum gave the Celtics a chance to tie the series at a game apiece, driving coast-to-coast before finishing with an easy dunk with 19 seconds remaining. But Jrue Holiday fouled a jumper from Jalen Brunson, who made both free throws to give New York the win.

Issues taking care of the basketball have plagued the Celtics throughout the series, averaging 15.5 turnovers over two games. It’s an increase of 3.9 turnovers compared with their regular-season average. Offensive output has nosedived for the team in each of its fourth quarters this series, making only 4.5 field goals of its 22.5 attempted with a 2.0-of-13.0 clip from 3-point range.

“You've got to give them credit,” Mazzulla said about the Knicks. “They're well-coached, good team. I think it's both. I think it's on us. It's on me (to) call better plays. It's on them, our guys, to make better reads. Obviously, the Knicks are doing a good job defending us.”

Bridges propelled the Knicks back into Game 2, scoring all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter. When they got within striking distance, Brunson provided six points in the final two minutes to lead them to a win. The 6-foot-2 guard scored 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting with a 4-of-7 mark from deep in the fourth quarter against the Celtics this postseason.

Brunson’s performance is significantly better compared with the Celtics’ star players. Tatum has six points on 1-of-12 shooting — missing all seven of his 3-pointers — and two turnovers. Brown has six points on a 1-of-7 mark without a made three on two tries.

“We just weren't able to convert in the fourth quarter,” Brown said. “That's what it came down to. Our defense, I thought, was great. We had physicality. We had energy on defense. Our offense let us down.”

The Celtics could become the sixth team since 2019 to be eliminated without returning to at least the conference finals, as no defending NBA champion has advanced past the conference semifinals over that span. The Warriors in 2017 and 2018 were the last franchise to repeat as NBA champions.

Boston’s inability to find success late in Games 1 and 2 is perplexing when considering the playoff experience its star players have accrued throughout their careers. The Celtics have four players who are in the top 25 of career postseason games played among active NBA players, easily the highest total across the league. Not to mention, the franchise returned nearly every key piece of the 2024 NBA champion team.

So why is Boston struggling to put away New York with all its playoff experience?

“I'm not sure,” Brown said. “We've gotten two great starts. We guarded; we played physical with energy today. To start the fourth quarter, I thought we got like four or five great looks in a row that didn't go in, and maybe that affected us, but what's done is done. Now we've got an opportunity to see what we made of and come out and try to make something happen in Game 3.”

Brown and company will have two days to figure out how to fix their issues, as the Eastern Conference semifinals will shift to Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4. Tip-off for Game 3 will be at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday in New York.

If the Celtics want to regain home-court advantage, they must win both games to return to Boston with a best-of-three series.

“You're down 2-0 heading on the road, so you have an understanding of your environment and what you're up against,” Mazzulla said. “There's also, obviously, a lot of things that we're doing well, but then there's things that we need to be extremely better at in those situations. So obviously, you have an understanding of the environment. You're down 0-2, so we've got to get on the road, and we've got to find a way to win.”