Entering the second-round series in Boston, grabbing a split on the road in the first two games, and the Knicks steal homecourt advantage. Winning both games in dramatic fashion, with your opponent blowing 20-point leads in each of them for a 2-0 lead? Then you can start thinking about not having to return for Game 5.
“Going home and realizing the opportunity that we have, just gotta make sure we’re still locked in,” Jalen Brunson said after the Knicks’ 91-90 win over the Celtics in Game 2. “Know we’re close to being done, just make sure our mindset is the same.”
For Karl-Anthony Towns, who remembers taking a 2-0 lead at Denver last year with Minnesota in a series that eventually went seven games, the lead doesn’t amount to much.
“It means we up two zip, but it doesn’t really mean anything,” Towns said before mentioning the Nuggets won the next two games on the road to even the series. “We can’t take anything for granted, we gotta find ourselves executing at a higher level. We can’t keep doing these 20-point leads for Boston and hope to come back and win the game.
“We gotta play better, we gotta shoot better, we gotta execute better. We can’t start having that Knicks basketball being played down 20, we gotta start the game that way and finish the game that way.”
Before Game 2, head coach Tom Thibodeau said a “big challenge of the playoffs” is dealing with emotions and not looking past the next game.
“There are a lot of emotional highs, lows, and then the challenge is to reset the next day,” he said. “And don’t get caught up in playing a series, you gotta focus on the task at hand, which is to win the game. Reset and focus on the things that you have to do to win that next game.”
“The jobs not done,” Mitchell Robison, who was a team high plus-19 during 22 minutes Wednesday, said. “We just gonna leave it at that and continue to play basketball.
Boston’s Jaylen Brown, who scored 17 of his 20 points in Game 2 in the first half, said the defending champs “can get back in this thing no question.”
“Being down 0-2 it sucks, but we got a great group,” he said. “We just gotta come out, be a little bit more poised, take a deep breath, convert our opportunities – we missed layups, easy baskets – take advantage.
“Two games we were up 20 points somehow ended up not with wins. It’s inexcusable, but we gonna learn from it, we gonna respond.”
How are the Celtics planning on shaking off back-to-back blown big second-half leads? “In a way, it kinda takes all the pressure off of us, no?” KristapsPorzingis said. “If you check the odds, maybe the Knicks are the favorites now to win. Who knows?
“We were expected to win, so for us to be in this hole right now, with our backs against the wall, we have nothing to lose. We got to go out there and leave it all out on the floor.”
Do the Celtics feel like they’re on the ropes?
“We’re definitely in a tough situation,” Porznigis said. “Down 2-0, but again, I’ve been in this situation on both sides, there’s a lot of basketball still to play, the momentum can change.”
Brown called it an “opportunity to show what we’re made of.”
“Not ideal situation being down 0-2,” he said. “But what’s done is done, we gotta make sure we’re ready to come out, make sure my guys are ready to come out Game 3. I think we due for a lot of makes. I think that we have a lot of great shots [Wednesday night] that didn’t go in.
“We just gotta relax, take a deep breath, come out and play Celtic basketball. Just like we down 0-2, we can tie this thing up.”
After shooting 25-for-100 from three and 29-for-93 after halftime in the first two games, Porzingis said the Celtics need to play with more “urgency.”
“It sucks really bad right now,” Porzingis said, “but we got a lot of basketball to play and let’s see where this goes.”
Entering the second-round series in Boston, grabbing a split on the road in the first two games, and the Knicks steal homecourt advantage. Winning both games in dramatic fashion, with your opponent blowing 20-point leads in each of them for a 2-0 lead? Then you can start thinking about not having to return for Game 5.
“Going home and realizing the opportunity that we have, just gotta make sure we’re still locked in,” Jalen Brunson said after the Knicks’ 91-90 win over the Celtics in Game 2. “Know we’re close to being done, just make sure our mindset is the same.”
For Karl-Anthony Towns, who remembers taking a 2-0 lead at Denver last year with Minnesota in a series that eventually went seven games, the lead doesn’t amount to much.
“It means we up two zip, but it doesn’t really mean anything,” Towns said before mentioning the Nuggets won the next two games on the road to even the series. “We can’t take anything for granted, we gotta find ourselves executing at a higher level. We can’t keep doing these 20-point leads for Boston and hope to come back and win the game.
“We gotta play better, we gotta shoot better, we gotta execute better. We can’t start having that Knicks basketball being played down 20, we gotta start the game that way and finish the game that way.”
Before Game 2, head coach Tom Thibodeau said a “big challenge of the playoffs” is dealing with emotions and not looking past the next game.
“There are a lot of emotional highs, lows, and then the challenge is to reset the next day,” he said. “And don’t get caught up in playing a series, you gotta focus on the task at hand, which is to win the game. Reset and focus on the things that you have to do to win that next game.”
“The jobs not done,” Mitchell Robison, who was a team high plus-19 during 22 minutes Wednesday, said. “We just gonna leave it at that and continue to play basketball.
Boston’s Jaylen Brown, who scored 17 of his 20 points in Game 2 in the first half, said the defending champs “can get back in this thing no question.”
“Being down 0-2 it sucks, but we got a great group,” he said. “We just gotta come out, be a little bit more poised, take a deep breath, convert our opportunities – we missed layups, easy baskets – take advantage.
“Two games we were up 20 points somehow ended up not with wins. It’s inexcusable, but we gonna learn from it, we gonna respond.”
How are the Celtics planning on shaking off back-to-back blown big second-half leads? “In a way, it kinda takes all the pressure off of us, no?” KristapsPorzingis said. “If you check the odds, maybe the Knicks are the favorites now to win. Who knows?
“We were expected to win, so for us to be in this hole right now, with our backs against the wall, we have nothing to lose. We got to go out there and leave it all out on the floor.”
Do the Celtics feel like they’re on the ropes?
“We’re definitely in a tough situation,” Porznigis said. “Down 2-0, but again, I’ve been in this situation on both sides, there’s a lot of basketball still to play, the momentum can change.”
Brown called it an “opportunity to show what we’re made of.”
“Not ideal situation being down 0-2,” he said. “But what’s done is done, we gotta make sure we’re ready to come out, make sure my guys are ready to come out Game 3. I think we due for a lot of makes. I think that we have a lot of great shots [Wednesday night] that didn’t go in.
“We just gotta relax, take a deep breath, come out and play Celtic basketball. Just like we down 0-2, we can tie this thing up.”
After shooting 25-for-100 from three and 29-for-93 after halftime in the first two games, Porzingis said the Celtics need to play with more “urgency.”
“It sucks really bad right now,” Porzingis said, “but we got a lot of basketball to play and let’s see where this goes.”
