Celtics-Knicks: 5 snack bars, as Knick's defended champions push to the edge

NEW YORK – The Boston Celtics season is just before the edge. And the next season can also be in a serious danger, since the semi -finals passed in the fourth game of the Eastern Conference on Monday.

The Celtics blew another two-digit lead in the second half (these 14 points), lost 121-113 and now transports the series 3: 1. It is even more important that all-star Jayson Tatum had a serious injury to the right leg with a little more than three minutes in the fourth quarter than he fell around a loose ball.

At that time, the Knicks had turned this 14-point deficit into a lead of nine points, and the Celtics could not achieve their own comeback without their best player, who had achieved 42 points with eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks.

Jalen Brunson's 39 points and 12 assists (with just one sales) led the Knicks, who had by far their best offensive game of the series.

Here are some notes, quotes, numbers and films, with New York being only a victory from his first trip to the conference final in 25 years …

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1. Knicks' crime becomes alive

The first three games in this series were the worst three-game criminal offense of the Knicks throughout the season (101.4 points per 100 possessions). Her comebacks in games 1 and 2, in which more about the offensive of the Celtics achieved an anemic 84 points on 98 possessions in these two games after half -time.

While the Celtics were not as efficient on Monday as in game 3, they still scored 113 points for only 94 possessions (120.2 per 100). Statistically, that was the kinks' second The worst defensive game of these playoffs.

But at the other end of the floor it was her best. After turning only 50% in the color in game 3, they were in color 32 against 44 (73%) on Monday. And you did enough from 3-point range to make your 64-32 lacquer advantage.

Karl-Anthony Towns has not yet found his 3-point shot (1: 10 from deep in the series), but was able to use smaller defenders inside and scored 23 points on 11-on-15 shooting. OG Anunoby (20 to 8-against-14) made some timely shots, and the combination of Brunson and Mikal Bridges could not be stopped because New York scored astonishing 70 points on 47 possessions in the second half.

Of course, such an insult does not come without a little help from the opposition.

“It was terrible tonight to be honest,” said Jaylen Brown afterwards. “No resistance.”

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2. Jalen Brunson remains this type

In the regular season, the Celtics had the four -time defense of the league and have great defenders in all forms and sizes. This is played by Brunson, who scored with 6-foot-2 27 of his 39 points in the color (18) or on the free wire line 27 of his 39 points.

His favorite goals are still the Bigs of the Celtics. According to the second spectrum tracking, the Knicks 33 ball screens for Brunson, who defended either Kristaps Porziņģis (21) or Al Horford (12) and the Knicks scored 37 points in 30 chances (1.23 per) when they used this action.

But Brunson also had his way with Derrick White, against whom he scored 12 points, including four end of the third quarter, when Brunson had 18 of the Knicks 37. White is a great defender, but Brunson seems to be too strong for him.

One of these buckets in the third was that Brunson only bullyed white in the color so that he could get a comfortable, turnaround jumper from the right baseline …

Brunson only always finds big playoff appearances for the Knicks, even if they fall back against the defending champions. In his 34 playoff games with New York, he has now scored an average of 30.2 points, with only Phoenix 'Devin Booker (32.1 in 15 games) in the last three post -seasons.

“When times get so hard, they know that he will never live in the moment,” said Bridges about Brunson. “He will stay locked up and bring us there. He just wants to win.

“He knows what he likes on the pitch, where he wants to get. But I really think it is the will to win a game that he builds on another level because he doesn't want to lose. It's great to see and I'm glad he's on my side.”

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3. Another large fourth quarter for bridges

Bridges was the spark that the Knicks needed in game 2 and scored 14 of their first 16 points in the fourth quarter of their first, when they scored a second comeback from 20 points in a row.

They weren't in such a big hole in game 4, but it came early and often recently.

With Brunson from the ground to start the fourth, the criminal offense of the Knicks ran through bridges. In the first three possessions of that time you actually played the same game for him.

For all three possessions, the ball was entered to bridges on the left side of the floor before Mitchell Robinson came by with a screen.

• In the first one was Luke Korket (Robinson's defender) in the drop reporting. Bridges held white (after the screen) on his hip and came to his place, causing a Fadaway to flow out directly within the free -wing line.

• In the next possession of the ball, he stayed back on his hip and was able to get to the baseline, draining another Fadeaway via Cornet's competition …

• The Celtics have adapted to the next property. Kornet switched the screen and isolated as a bridge, White came back with a double team …

Josh Hart flashed in the nail, but missed his own fadaway of only in the free -wing line. Nevertheless, it was great that bridges attracted this kind of attention from the Celtics, who generally do not like to put two defenders on the ball.

And it is great that the Knicks have a second option through which you can carry out your offensive in the fourth quarter. Bridges (who played the entire second half on Monday) is now shooting 12: 19 and has seven templates in the fourth quarters in this series.

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4. Celtics lose their MVP

The Celtics had no update about Tatum after the game and said he would get an MRI on Tuesday. However, there were no signs of optimism.

“It's hard,” said Jaylen Brown. “There is not much to say.”

Tatum had to be carried off the pitch after he had an apparently under -leg injury at the end of the fourth quarter.

This season, the Celtics are 9-2 without Tatum, a brand that contains a 3-2 record against Playoff teams. This brand contains a victory against Orlando in game 2 of the first round.

Tatum is the driving force of the Celtics offensive and leads the team in the time of possession and the rate of use. Even when Brown was both in the conference finale and in the final of the award ceremony MVP last year, Tatum created the most advantages that led to open recordings.

If you want to expand this series without your leading goal scorer, the Celtics apparently have to be much better than in game 4. However, you have efficiently achieved the secondary defense of the league, as you won this game in the first round without Tatum without Tatum with 118.8 points per 100 possession.

They are still the champions, they still have a lot of talent and their season is not over yet.

“I think everyone has a kind of loss of words just because one loses the game, but obviously the concern for JT,” said Brown. “But we take our heads again tomorrow and go out of there.”

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5. Who can believe that the kinks are here?

It doesn't matter that the Knicks in their 10 playoff games (two points) have been exceeded. It doesn't matter that you have followed all four games in this series by at least 14 points. And it doesn't matter that they were 0-10 against the three best teams in the regular season.

What matters is that you are a game when you remove the defending champs and reach the conference final in a wide -open race for the championship. The other two teams that dominated the regular season – the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder – are in hard series.

“We have a great opportunity,” said Brunson about where his team is now. “We play a really good team and I don't think we are playing our best basketball so far. We have a team that is pretty new this year, and we still have a long way to be the best thing we can be. There is always time to learn for ourselves. We have to make sure that we are never satisfied and that this student mentality.”

This series is far from over, but the Knicks are 5-0 on the street in the playoffs and can complete in game 5 in Boston on Wednesday.7 et, tnt).

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John Schuhmann is a high -ranking statistical analyst at NBA.com. You can send him an email Herefind His archive here And Follow him on X.

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