About this Episode
In this episode of Podcasty NBA we analyze Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals where the New York Knicks upset favored Boston Celtics in overtime despite allowing an NBA-playoff-record number of three-point attempts by Boston—60 total—with only fifteen made shots. We break down whether this result stemmed from bad Celtics shooting or strong Knicks defense including strategic switching under Tom Thibodeau’s new scheme disrupting typical offensive flow. We examine advanced shot quality metrics showing Boston’s worst shooting performance since late 2022 alongside insights from coaches Josh Hart and Joe Mazzulla about process versus results.The episode explores key tactical shifts impacting shot selection balance between catch-and-shoot versus pull-up triples plus implications for upcoming games based solely on presented facts.
Article Discussed: "Is the Knicks' curveball affecting Boston? Behind the Celtics' 3-point shooting woes - Yahoo Sports"
Author: Dan Devine
This podcast was generated by AI using Podcasty.
Episode Transcript
Niko: Welcome to Podcasty NBA! Today we're diving into a fascinating Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics. The Knicks pulled off an upset victory, overcoming a 20-point deficit to win in overtime, and a huge part of that was Boston's historically poor three-point shooting. It's a story about defense, shot selection, and some unexpected strategic shifts.
Stella: Absolutely, Niko. The Celtics attempted an NBA-playoff-record 60 three-pointers but only made 15 of them. That discrepancy really shaped the game’s outcome. We’ll explore whether it was bad shooting from Boston, great defense by New York, or a mix of both. Plus, we'll break down how the Knicks' defensive adjustments under coach Tom Thibodeau played a major role in limiting Boston’s efficiency beyond the arc.
Niko: So let’s start with what actually happened on the court. The Knicks didn’t intend to let Boston shoot so many threes — Josh Hart said after the game, “We don’t want them to shoot more threes.” But despite their efforts to contest shots physically and play tight defense, Boston still launched 60 attempts from deep. What’s wild is that they only made 15 of those shots.
Stella: Right, and that low conversion rate was crucial for New York’s comeback. The Celtics had built up a 20-point lead before the Knicks clawed back to force overtime where Mikal Bridges led an incredible effort to seal the win. But when you look at NBA.com’s tracking data, it shows Boston went 7-for-32 on threes with defenders between four and six feet away and 7-for-24 when shooters had at least six feet of space.
Niko: Yeah, but then again, watching those shots doesn’t exactly reveal tons of wide-open looks either. Another stat says New York contested 24 of Boston’s three-pointers in Game 1. So it seems like there’s room for debate about what counts as a good or bad look and how effective New York's defense really was.
Stella: Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla weighed in on this too. He emphasized looking at process and shot quality rather than just results. He pointed out that points in the paint were even between teams and that they took more non-paint twos compared to New York's style focused on more threes. According to PBP Stats’ shot quality model — which factors distance, angle, game context but not defender distance — Boston's expected effective field-goal percentage was around 53%, yet they only achieved about 43%.
Niko: That gap is huge! And Synergy Sports’ model which includes defender distance also showed Boston's expected points per shot were about 1.07 but they only scored around 0.86 per attempt — their worst shooting performance since December 2022 against Indiana. Meanwhile, New York actually faced tougher shot quality but managed better efficiency overall.
Stella: "Look at the process," Mazzulla said postgame — acknowledging there are things his team needs to improve despite liking most of their shot attempts. He even mentioned loving most of their three-point tries except for maybe ten or eleven he’d take back after Tuesday's practice session." It shows he's focusing on execution over panic after one tough game.
Niko: "One interesting wrinkle: during the regular season Boston mostly relied on catch-and-shoot threes — averaging nearly twice as many catch-and-shoot attempts as pull-up threes — with great success making nearly 40% from those spots," Stella explained earlier. "But in Game 1 there were more pull-up threes than catch-and-shoots with shooters firing often on the move rather than set."
Stella: "Jaylen Brown admitted some shots felt forced and rhythm was off," adding another layer to why shooting percentages dipped so much despite decent shot quality metrics." This shift might partly be due to how Tom Thibodeau changed his defensive scheme for Game 1 — switching almost every pick-and-roll instead of his usual drop coverage approach.
Niko: "That defensive switch rate spike surprised everyone," says Jared Dubin from Last Night in Basketball who noted it was New York’s highest switching rate all season," Stella continues." It helped limit open looks by aggressively contesting shots with players like Bridges, Hart and Anunoby closing out quickly."
Stella: "Switching also kept Boston out of the paint where they typically thrive by collapsing defenses and creating kick-out opportunities," Niko adds." In fact, during second half stretches Celtics took very few shots inside the arc or free throws while grabbing minimal offensive rebounds — all signs their offense stalled inside.
Niko: "Brown acknowledged after Game 1 that settling for contested threes wasn't ideal," Stella notes." He stressed needing better balance by attacking paint and free-throw line first before firing off perimeter shots." Meanwhile Josh Hart insists Knicks wanted exactly that: keep Celtics on perimeter contested by multiple defenders ready to help if needed.
Stella: "Despite giving up so many three-point attempts overall," Niko summarizes," Knicks’ strategy seemed focused on funneling Celtics into tough contested jumpers rather than easy drives or open looks inside." That defensive discipline combined with some cold shooting led to one of Boston's worst offensive performances in years.
Niko: "Looking ahead," Stella reflects," Mazzulla said simply if 'the open ones go in' this conversation wouldn’t be happening—meaning if Celtics shoot closer to their norms next game things could tilt back in their favor." But if New York repeats aggressive switching defense while Boston struggles pulling up or generating offense inside paint again? This series could get very interesting quickly.
Stella: "To wrap up," Niko concludes," we saw how an uncharacteristically poor shooting night combined with smart defensive adjustments allowed underdog Knicks to erase a massive deficit and steal Game 1 against favored Celtics." Stella adds," It highlights how even elite teams can struggle when forced into uncomfortable rhythms—and how tactical changes can disrupt usual patterns dramatically." Thanks for listening to Podcasty NBA!
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