Knicks stun Celtics again, take 2-0 series lead
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges blocks a pass by Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum in the final seconds of the second half of Game 2. Credit: AP
BOSTON — There might have been no better analogy of the mentality that the Knicks brought to TD Garden this week than when it was all over.
After the Knicks secured another stunning win, Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson sat at a table conducting their postgame interviews. Fire alarms were blaring, a light flashing on the wall behind them, and as the arena was being evacuated Hart looked back for a second and said, “Nobody else is worried about this?” And then he resumed his thought and calmly talked about comebacks, the makeup of the team and really, they didn’t have to say anything. It was chaos around them and serenity ruled.
How else to explain what had just transpired on the court. The Knicks faced a 20-point third-quarter deficit for the second straight game. And just as they fought back for an overtime win Monday, they provided the heroics on both ends Wednesday for a 91-90 win in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
It gave them a 2-0 lead as the series shifts to Madison Square Garden Saturday afternoon.
It may have felt like they were already home, as the Celtics fans exited with their heads down and a large group of Knicks fans chanted “Knicks in four.”
Just as they had in Game 1 they came all the way back, taking their first lead of the game in the final minutes. And, just like Monday, it was Brunson providing the offensive boost in the last minute and Mikal Bridges coming up with the game-saving defensive stop, smothering Jayson Tatum.
“Play to the final whistle,” Brunson said. “Can’t really explain, but we have to give each other confidence when we go through stretches like that and just keep fighting, keep moving.”
“When you’re not making shots, you’ve got to find ways to impact the game in a positive way,” Hart said. “That can be an offensive rebound and kick-out for another opportunity, a defensive steal to get you in transition and get an easy bucket. Those things are momentum plays and they inspire your teammates. That’s something that we all try to do. We know when it gets close at the end of the game, a one-possession game, we’re very comfortable. We’ve got Captain Clutch.”
There was little doubt about that. Given the chance, the Knicks would put the ball in the hands of Brunson. First, he drained an 18-footer with 1:59 left to provide the Knicks their first lead of the game. After Tatum raced through the defense for a dunk to give Boston back the lead, it was Brunson against Jrue Holiday, one of the elite defensive players in the NBA. He drew a foul with 12.7 seconds left and hit two free throws, giving the Knicks the lead and setting up the final stop.
“It’s a focus that I need to have at that moment,” Brunson said. “Can’t worry about what happened previously in the game. It’s focusing and having a clear mind, trying to win the game. That’s just my mindset. I wouldn’t be there without my teammates.”
Tatum, who shot just 5-for-19 for 13 points, had blown by OG Anunoby on the previous possession as Al Horford came to midcourt and set a screen. But this time he could not shake Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson. As he faded for a jumper on the left side with 2.1 seconds left, Bridges joined the play, his long arms reaching up and stealing Tatum’s pass attempt in front of the Knicks’ bench, setting off a celebration.
The Knicks and Celtics had two days since Monday’s Game 1 upset to consider game plans and possibilities. And what was clear is that the Celtics are not going to change.
Leading by 20 points in the third quarter for the second consecutive game, Boston saw the Knicks calmly chip away. The Celtics didn’t take 60 threes as they did Monday, but they struggled again, shooting just 10-for-40, and kept firing indiscriminately as the lead disappeared. Boston shot 5-for-24 in the fourth — 2-for-11 from three. Hart led the Knicks with 23 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 17 rebounds.
Bridges, who was 0-for-8 entering the fourth, got the Knicks back in the game by scoring 13 points in the opening 6:09 of the final period, turning a 20-point hole into an 84-76 deficit. The Knicks kept coming, a Hart runner closing the gap to 86-82 with 3:18 to play as the Celtics continued to misfire from long range.
Towns then followed a Hart miss, drawing a foul on the play to cut the gap to 86-85 with 2:33 left. Tatum misfired on a turnaround jumper on the baseline and Brunson delivered a jumper from the elbow for the Knicks’ first lead with 1:59 to play. Brunson then delivered again, driving through traffic for a layup with 56 seconds left and the Knicks were up three.
Tatum drew a foul on the other end, going to the line for the first time in the game, and hit a pair. The Knicks were up one again. Brunson missed on a jumper and the Celtics had the ball with 24.2 seconds left and Tatum’s dunk put them back in front. But Brunson’s free throws put the Knicks ahead for good.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
