BOSTON — Throughout this highly strange series — which has featured a number of huge leads followed by double-digit, second-half comebacks — the only thing that has seemed like a sure bet is that things would eventually tighten if the New York Knicks fell behind the defending champion Boston Celtics.
That wasn’t the case in Game 5 on Wednesday.
The Celtics, without superstar Jayson Tatum, who ruptured his right Achilles tendon in Game 4, played a dominant second half at TD Garden, blasting the Knicks by 25 after the break to win 127-102 and stave off elimination.
The series, with New York now leading 3-2, picks back up at Madison Square Garden on Friday for Game 6.
Derrick White (34 points) and Jaylen Brown (32 points, 12 assists, 8 boards) starred for Boston, while reserve big man Luke Kornet played one of the best games of his playoff career, logging 10 points, 9 rebounds and 7 blocks.
For the Knicks, who matched the Celtics’ energy through one half, it was a highly disappointing outcome that closely resembled their Game 3 defeat — one in which Jalen Brunson said it felt like the group was “subconsciously satisfied” with having won Games 1 and 2 after mounting 20-point comebacks in each.
Asked whether Game 5 was similar and whether the Knicks perhaps took their foot off the pedal as a result of Tatum being out of the lineup, Brunson dismissed the idea.
“No, not at all. Yes, they are missing a big piece. But they are a well-oiled machine that has been in situations where they’ve played without him, and they’ve played well,” Brunson said. “We need to understand that and trust the game plan and play to win. It’s as simple as that.”
Said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau: “We had a lead [early]; didn’t play tough with the lead. Came out to start the third; didn’t play well there. Can’t afford to do that.”
Indeed, things were even at 59-all heading into the third period. But the Celtics and their crowd took control at that point.
With Kornet in the game to replace an ineffective Kristaps Porzingis, Boston opted to place guard Jrue Holiday on sharpshooting Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, who has managed just two triples all series.
Doing so, and having Kornet hang near the basket as a help defender and rim protector, gave New York problems. As a roamer, he swatted five shots in the third quarter alone. For context, the Knicks made a total of four shots in that entire span.
The Celtics, on the other hand, had all kinds of space for their looks, both in the paint and from deep. White got loose for a pair of triples and had 13 points by himself in that span. The ball moved beautifully, with Boston logging seven assists on eight makes. The Celtics also collected 12 points at the line.
“That third quarter was terrible. From the top down, it was a terrible quarter,” said Knicks wing Josh Hart, who led his club with 24 points.
New York getting outscored by 15 in the third might not even have been its biggest problem. It might have been Brunson picking up five personal fouls in that stretch. Because of that, Thibodeau subbed him out with 2:45 left in the quarter and the Knicks down 12.
Looking at the game getting away from him, Thibodeau felt compelled to bring Brunson back to start the fourth as opposed to giving the clutch guard his usual rest. But Brunson ended up getting his sixth with just over seven minutes remaining. He had logged 22 points and six assists, but he ultimately exited the game with New York still trailing by 21.
It merely solidified the fact that this game — one in which the Celtics hit nearly twice as many 3s and nearly 17 percentage points better from the field — would not feature one of the Knicks’ patented comebacks.
Things now head back to New York, where the Knicks haven’t closed out a playoff series at home since 1999, and where the club seems almost annoyed by questions about the level of urgency it feels to land a knockout punch to avoid having to face a potential Game 7.
“That’s such a stupid question. Every game you want to win, bro,” Hart said in response to a question about the need to win Game 6. “Every game, you want to go out and compete. Obviously we didn’t do that. But the next game is the next game, and that’s all we’re focusing on.”
Source: espn.com