Basketball fans are still trying to figure out how the Boston Celtics blew a 20-point lead. Honestly, it feels like a fever dream. If you watched Celtics Knicks Game 2 on May 7, 2025, you saw the defending champions completely fall apart in the fourth quarter. It wasn't just a loss; it was a total collapse. The Knicks walked into TD Garden and escaped with a 91-90 win, taking a 2-0 lead back to Madison Square Garden.
Boston didn't just lose the game. They lost their composure. For a team that looked invincible all season, seeing them go over eight minutes without a single field goal in the final frame was jarring.
Why Celtics Knicks Game 2 Changed Everything
Everyone thought Game 1 was a fluke. The Knicks won that one in overtime after a wild comeback, but the consensus was that Boston would tighten things up. For the first three quarters of Game 2, they did. They looked like the 2024 championship squad. Jayson Tatum was aggressive early. Derrick White was hitting shots. By the end of the third, the Celtics led 73-53.
A 20-point lead at home? That’s usually a death sentence for the visiting team. But Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks are built differently. They don't quit. They just grind you down until you start seeing ghosts.
The Mikal Bridges Factor
The biggest story of the night was Mikal Bridges. He didn't score a single point through the first three quarters. Not one. Then the fourth quarter started, and he turned into a superstar. Bridges dropped 14 points in the final twelve minutes.
It wasn't just the scoring, though. It was the defense. Just like in Game 1, Bridges came up with a massive steal in the closing seconds. With Boston trailing by one and time winding down, Tatum tried to get to the rim. Bridges just swiped it. Game over.
By the Numbers: The Shooting Nightmare
The Celtics' offense has always lived and died by the three. In this series, it’s mostly been "died."
- Game 1: 15-for-60 from deep.
- Game 2: 10-for-40 from deep.
That's 25% shooting across two games on 100 attempts. You can't win playoff games like that, especially when Jalen Brunson is on the other side. Brunson wasn't even at his best—he finished with 17 points—but he made the two free throws that mattered with 12 seconds left.
The Problem with the Boston Offense
People love to talk about Joe Mazzulla’s "mathematical" approach to basketball. If you take more threes than the other team, you should win. Usually, the math works. But in Celtics Knicks Game 2, the math failed because the execution was lazy.
The Knicks stayed home on shooters. They forced Tatum into contested mid-range jumpers. Tatum finished 5-of-19 from the floor. That’s 13 points in a must-win playoff game. Jaylen Brown had 20, but he struggled with efficiency too.
It felt like the Celtics were waiting for the Knicks to go away. They stopped moving the ball. They stopped attacking the paint. When the lead started shrinking, they panicked. You could see it in their body language. Every missed three felt heavier than the last one.
Towns and Hart: The Unsung Heroes
Karl-Anthony Towns was a monster on the glass. He finished with 21 points and 17 rebounds. He gave the Knicks the physical presence they needed to match Boston’s size. And Josh Hart? The guy is a machine. He played nearly the whole game, finishing with 23 points and 6 rebounds.
Hart is the heartbeat of that team. He does the "garbage work" that wins playoff series. He dives for loose balls, crashes the offensive glass, and somehow always finds himself in the right spot when the game is on the line.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Series
The common narrative is that Boston is "choking." While there's some truth to that, it ignores how well the Knicks are playing defensively. They are rotating at a high level. They aren't giving up easy layups.
Also, Kristaps Porzingis was clearly not himself. He came off the bench for only the fifth time in his career after dealing with an illness. He played 14 minutes and looked sluggish. Without a healthy KP, the Celtics lose their vertical spacing. It makes it much easier for the Knicks to pack the paint and dare Boston to hit 40-footers.
Moving Forward: Can Boston Recover?
Statistically, teams that win the first two games of a series on the road win the series about 85% of the time. The Celtics are in a massive hole. Heading into New York down 0-2 is a nightmare scenario.
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If you're looking for a silver lining for Boston, it’s that they can’t possibly shoot this poorly forever. Right? Eventually, those wide-open looks for Derrick White and Sam Hauser have to fall. If they don't, this series is going to be a short one.
Actionable Insights for the Rest of the Series
If you're following this rivalry, keep an eye on these specific adjustments:
- Attack the Rim: Boston needs to stop settling. Tatum and Brown are at their best when they are getting to the line and collapsing the defense.
- The Fatigue Factor: The Knicks play their starters heavy minutes. If Boston can push the pace and make this a "track meet," they might find some legs in the fourth quarter.
- Rotation Shifts: Mazzulla might need to look deeper into his bench. If the starters are cold, someone like Payton Pritchard needs more than just a "spark plug" role—he might need real minutes to break the shooting slump.
The Knicks have all the momentum. They have the grit. They have the "Nova Knicks" chemistry that seems to thrive in high-pressure moments. Boston has the talent, but as we saw in Celtics Knicks Game 2, talent doesn't mean much if you can't buy a bucket in the final eight minutes of a game.
Watch the injury reports closely for Game 3. Porzingis’ health is the single biggest factor for Boston right now. If he’s back to 100%, he changes the entire geometry of the floor. If not, the Knicks might just sweep the defending champs right out of the building.
Go back and re-watch the final two minutes of Game 2. Pay attention to the Knicks' defensive rotations. It wasn't just luck; it was a masterclass in playoff intensity.