BOSTON — The start was eerily similar to Friday night. The Boston Celtics couldn’t make a shot. On Friday, they opened the game shooting 1-of-20 in the first half against the Miami Heat. On Sunday afternoon against the New York Knicks, their first-half woes continued. They shot 5-of-22 from deep in the first half, including 2-of-13 in the first quarter.
Jalen Brunson absolutely shredded Boston’s defense. Tough shots, open threes, buckets in transition, it didn’t matter. Everything he threw up went in. He scored 15 in the first quarter alone.
Meanwhile, Derrick White was the only guy with anything close to a rhythm for the Celtics.
New York got out in transition early and often, but their other offensive success came from cuts. The Celtics’ defense helps a lot on drives, and most teams stay spaced, keeping their guys behind the three-point line. Boston then lives with late closeouts, contesting shooters with their hustle.
But the Knicks didn’t do that. Instead, guys like Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges cut right behind the Celtics’ help defenders. This led to a ton of great shots at the rim and also put the Celtics in some foul trouble.
Slowly but surely, Boston found a way to get back in the game. After an ugly first quarter, they battled in the second, and by the third, the Knicks’ lead was within striking distance.
Baylor Scheierman was a primary reason why. Even when Boston was down, he was one of the best players on the floor. His rebounding, playmaking, and impressive defense were constants, and he helped prevent the Knicks from winning the rebounding battle.
The third quarter was when Jaylen Brown started to heat up. He took on the Brunson assignment, so his defensive efforts (though valiant) weren’t shining through, and despite his overall efficiency, he didn’t look as effective as usual in the first half. But everything changed after halftime.
Brown exploded onto the scene, making tough bucket after tough bucket, finishing the third with 13 points. But the Knicks pushed forward anyway.
Instead of mounting a comeback, Boston lost ground in the third. They lost the quarter 25-15.
When the final frame came around, it was awkward. Neither team could find a real rhythm. There were a ton of whistles throughout the period.
However, even when a Scheierman offensive rebound and three-pointer sparked the TD Garden crowd midway through the fourth, two straight turnovers immediately dulled the momentum.
Open shots wouldn’t fall, and the Celtics ultimately failed to generate enough offense to mount a significant comeback.
Big winner: Ever since Scheierman started getting spot starts, he’s been incredible. Even when the shots aren’t falling, like they weren’t on Sunday afternoon, his impact is clear as day.
Scheierman couldn’t make anything on Sunday. Some of his shots weren’t even close. But he still found a way to leave his fingerprints all over this game.
Ouch, tough one: The Celtics couldn’t buy a three on Sunday afternoon. They generated a ton of great looks. But none of them fell.
Payton Pritchard was ice cold. Nikola Vucevic was ice cold. Brown, Luka Garza, and Scheierman were ice cold. The only guy who could make a three was White, and even he wasn’t particularly efficient.
Boston’s offense wasn’t great, but even when they did manage to create good looks, they just couldn’t make them. They ended the game shooting a woeful 7-of-41 (17.1%) from deep range.
The big picture: Have the Celtics just been cold lately? Is this a trend to watch out for?
It shouldn’t be lost on anyone that the Celtics just gave up one of the best catch-and-shoot guys in the NBA in Anfernee Simons. He gave Boston a ton of great pick-me-up games, and they could have used that on Sunday afternoon.
But at the same time, Boston generated quality looks. Pritchard’s not going to shoot this poorly every night. Neither are Vucevic, Scheierman, or anyone else. Still, Simons’ absence felt particularly noteworthy on Super Bowl Sunday.
