About this Episode
In this episode of Podcasty NBA, hosts Niko and Stella analyze the Boston Celtics' surprising back-to-back losses against the New York Knicks in their recent playoff series despite starting each game with commanding leads. They break down key moments including Jason Tatum's uncharacteristically low scoring first halves, Jaylen Brown's turnovers during critical stretches, Kristaps Porzingis' illness impact on rotations, questionable coaching decisions regarding timeouts and strategy adjustments by Joe Mazzulla versus Tom Thibodeau's approach, as well as crowd dynamics at Madison Square Garden influencing atmosphere. The discussion highlights broader themes such as reliance on isolation plays under pressure versus teamwork breakdowns and potential implications for the remainder of the series based solely on explicit content from their detailed conversation.
Article Discussed: "The Celtics Are Falling Apart … Why? With Bill’s Dad | The Bill Simmons Podcast"
Author: Bill Simmons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iao5XnRXcNw
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Episode Transcript
Niko: Welcome to Podcasty NBA! Today, we're diving deep into the Celtics' recent playoff struggles against the Knicks. We've got a lot to unpack, from blown 20-point leads to questionable coaching decisions.
Stella: Absolutely, Niko. It's been a tough couple of games for Celtics fans. The team started strong, with big leads in both games but ended up losing in ways that felt confusing and frustrating. We'll break down what happened on the court and discuss the key moments.
Niko: Right, and what's rare here is that the Celtics were heavy favorites—minus eight or nine hundred odds—and yet somehow they blew huge leads in back-to-back games. Game two in particular felt even worse than game one.
Stella: It really did. The atmosphere at Madison Square Garden during game two was tense; fans were nervous, players looked off—Kristaps Porzingis especially seemed ill and lacking strength. Despite all that, they still managed a 20-point lead in the third quarter before everything unraveled.
Niko: Yeah, and speaking of Porzingis, he wasn't starting that night due to his condition. Yet Jason Tatum, who was supposed to be leading offensively as a first-team All-NBA player, had only two points by halftime. That was shocking given how critical he usually is for the team.
Stella: Exactly. It was like Tatum was invisible offensively despite being active on defense with rebounds. Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown struggled too—turnovers piled up and shots kept missing during crucial stretches.
Niko: That fourth quarter collapse was brutal: 13 straight missed shots while Knicks took smart good shots near the rim. The Celtics offense turned stagnant with isolation plays dominating instead of ball movement or extra passes.
Stella: And that’s something we’ve seen before when Tatum and Brown take over late in games—they tend to dribble out at the perimeter rather than attack or pass effectively. It’s puzzling since earlier quarters showed better teamwork and ball sharing.
Niko: Definitely a stark contrast between the first three quarters and the last quarter execution. Also worth noting: Knicks’ coach Tom Thibodeau got outcoached despite not being popular with us either—it seems like his adjustments paid off more than Joe Mazzulla’s did for Boston.
Stella: Right. And Mazzulla's reluctance or failure to call timeouts at key moments stood out as well. For instance, late in game two after a turnover cost them a chance to extend their lead, he didn't stop momentum shifts with timeouts or change strategy effectively.
Niko: That’s true — instead of calling a timeout and setting up fresh plays especially when your season is on the line down one point late in the fourth quarter, he ran essentially the same play twice expecting different results. That confused everyone watching.
Stella: And it wasn’t just about timeouts; there were defensive lapses too—like poor defense on shooters who suddenly caught fire late in games such as Bridges making multiple threes after struggling early on.
Niko: Yeah, those late-game defensive breakdowns coupled with offensive stagnation really hurt them badly both nights. Plus Porzingis’s illness created a domino effect tightening rotations and wearing down veteran Horford who looked tired guarding Towns inside.
Stella: That limited rotation made it harder when key players like Tatum struggled offensively because there weren't many reliable backup scoring options available on those nights — McBride had some impact but wasn’t enough to turn things around.
Niko: Exactly; depth matters so much in playoff basketball especially when stars aren't clicking. And speaking of Tatum's struggles – some casual fans pointed it out saying this isn't superstar-level play—but if you watch him all season long he had been improving immensely until these recent games where old habits returned under pressure.
Stella: Yes, it’s like watching two different players—the confident point-forward style from earlier months versus reverting back to hesitant perimeter dribbling with little aggression inside under playoff pressure which mystifies many fans including us here today.
Niko: Also interesting was how Jaylen Brown started strong attacking inside but then faded badly ending with numerous turnovers which compounded their problems offensively late game when they needed composure most.
Stella: The coaching decisions around lineup usage also baffled me—for example why not give Pritchard more minutes instead of relying heavily on Horford? Pritchard provides better spacing which could have opened up lanes for teammates during crunch time shot droughts.
Niko: Good point; spacing is critical especially against teams like Knicks who defend aggressively inside but sometimes struggle outside if you can force switches cleverly—which didn’t seem fully exploited by Boston's coaches during these games despite having capable shooters available off bench.
Stella: 'Tis true—and while we’re talking about coaching decisions there were some puzzling fouls called unnecessarily early rather than saving fouls for crucial moments which gave Knicks additional chances at free throws later too.'
Niko: 'Right! Those random fouls disrupted Celtics rhythm without putting them into foul trouble per se but allowed Knicks opportunities to chip away at leads.'
Stella: 'Overall it felt like an arrogance from Celtics players believing their usual formula would work without adaptation; shooting 100 three-pointers across two games making only 25 indicates poor shot selection especially when they desperately needed higher percentage shots near basket.'
Niko: 'Yes! And ironically while shooting woes plagued Celtics offense Knicks played one of their worst offensive ratings all season yet still pulled out wins mainly thanks to Boston self-inflicted errors.'
Stella: 'Shifting perspective briefly – crowd atmosphere also showed contrast: game one had confidence and energy from fans whereas game two had nervousness permeating through Madison Square Garden seats which likely affected player performance too.'
Niko: 'Exactly; even longtime season ticket holders noted how quiet people were entering seats last night compared to previous playoff atmospheres showing fans’ anxiety reflected team struggles.'
Stella: 'I also found it interesting how many Knicks fans showed up filling seats possibly bought by season ticket holders selling theirs after game one loss which added an antagonistic vibe leading to some confrontations postgame.'
Niko: 'Yeah that moment where Celtic fan warned a Knicks fan chanting loudly added tension beyond typical rivalry energy highlighting emotional stakes involved here for supporters.'
Stella: 'Looking ahead though there’s still hope—the Celtics have been very good road team this year so winning two straight at MSG isn’t impossible though challenging given current form and injuries affecting rotation depth significantly.'
Niko: 'Agreed — if they lose Saturday afternoon game three then odds look grim requiring three straight wins against confident Knicks playing at home but anything can happen in playoffs especially if key players regain composure quickly.'
Stella: 'True — but if series does end early many narratives will resurface about last year's championship being fluke due to injuries elsewhere or soft competition which would be unfair considering this team won deservedly last year despite challenges faced.'
Niko: 'One big takeaway from these losses is need for better coaching adjustments under pressure because repeated mistakes like ignoring momentum shifts or sticking rigidly to ineffective strategies undermined chances significantly.'
Stella: 'Yes—and encouraging more ball movement instead of hero basketball isolation late-game could unlock better offensive flow instead of predictable stagnation we've seen recently particularly from star duo Tatum and Brown during crunch times.'
Niko: 'To sum up: We witnessed puzzling collapses after strong starts marked by poor shot selection, questionable coaching decisions such as lack of timely timeouts plus player struggles under pressure amplified by injuries affecting rotations significantly.'
Stella: This series has exposed cracks beneath what looked like an offensive powerhouse all season long—emphasizing importance of resilience,momentum management,and adaptabilityat playoff level moving forwardfor both playersand coaches alike
Niko: Absolutely Stella.This episode reminds usthat even favorites can falter when fundamentalsaren't executedandstrategiesaren't adjusted quickly.Looking ahead,Celtics needto regroup focusonsmartbasketballifthey wanttoextendtheir postseasondreams
Stella: Thanks for joining us todayon Podcasty NBA.Never underestimatethe importanceof good coachingandteam cohesion inthe heatofplayoff battles.We’ll seehowthisseries unfoldsbut it's clearthere are lessonshereforBostonandfansalike
Niko: That's right.Stay tunedaswe continuefollowingthe playoffsandbreaking downthe highs,lowlights,andeverythingin between.We're Nikoand Stella,signing offfrom Podcasty NBA until nexttime.Take care!
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