Celtics-Knicks: 5 snack bars as defending champions keep the season alive

The defending champions are still alive.

The Boston Celtics confronted for the first time in two years and lacked its best player. She reacted with a huge second half in game 5 of the semi -finals of the Eastern Conference.

Since Jayson Tatum had suffered a Achilles tendon with cunning rights late in game 4 and Kristaps Porzi ° C continued to suffer from the effects of an undisclosed disease, the Celtics needed several players to save their season. They got exactly that when Derrick White scored 34 points, and Jaylen Brown distributed 12 templates and Luke Kornet, who care for seven shots.

The Knicks are still 3-2 and have a second chance, the series on Friday in Madison Square Garden (8 ET, ESPN), but they have now been exceeded in the five games with 35 points.

Here are some notes, quotes, numbers and films when the Knicks suffered their first loss of roads of the playoffs …

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1. Celtics come on fire from half of

Although overall they had a positive point differential in the first four games in this series, the Celtics were exceeded after half -time with 51 points (25.7 per 100 possessions). Over 96 minutes in the first half, they had scored an ultra -efficient 128.4 points per 100 points, but an anemic 94.7 per 100 over 101 minutes in the second half and in overtime, with the Knicks returning in all three wins of at least 14 points.

Game 5 was the first time that the Celtics did not run with at least nine points at halftime. The score was 59. It was also the first time that Boston did not fight offensive in the second half.

The opposite did. The Celtics scored astonishing 22 points in their first nine possessions of the third quarter and converted a tie game into a lead of 13 points, on which they would continue to build.

You actually missed three free throws in this route, but shot 5-to-6 from the field, including 3-on-3 from the 3-point area. And these three mistakes came from the line to these nine possessions in 12 attempts.

The Celtics received four points on their first half of the third half, with both Jrue Holiday and Brown Jalen Brunson in the color with an offensive rebound on the missed free throw from holiday.

Then the Celtics were able to get out in the transition, even after making buckets at the other end of the floor.

After a Josh Hart 3 for the Knicks, the Celtics quickly brought the ball to the floor and Al Horford brought him back to a after-running white, which was already 5-against-9 reach at this point. The Knicks could not find him in the transition, and he triggered another 3 to put on the Celtics six …

A few possessions later, White had another transition 3 when the Celtics remained hot.

According to Synergy Tracking 31-9, transition points on Wednesday were in favor of the Celtics, which in the last three games have scored 80 points for 52 transitional owners (1.54 Pro).

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2. Kornet is no longer able to go with porzingis, go

Although Porziis has to struggle, he was most of the fourth quarter in game 4 on which it seemed that his primary job in this series was to make Mitchell Robinson too bad.

With Tatum on Wednesday Porziis had its first start since game 1. But at the beginning of the third quarter he could not go.

“He couldn't breathe,” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla afterwards. “He was available [only] if absolutely necessary. “

It was not necessary, although Horford took his fourth foul less than two minutes in the second half. It was not necessary because Kornet was great. He has registered 25 minutes and 38 seconds, the most that he played in 42 career playoff games. He scored 10 points, won nine rebounds and blocked seven shots.

“He came in and always seemed to be in the right position,” said White about Kornet. “Seven blocks are crazy. He was incredible tonight and really appeared when we needed him.”

Five of these seven blocks came in the third quarter. The first of these blocks in the third quarter came at the end of a great defensive ownership for the third tall man of Celtics.

The Knicks had a “Spain” pick-and-roll roll with hard a ball screen for Brunson and OG Anunoby and then set a return screen on Cornet. But the Kornet saw the rear screen came and could avoid being taken out of the game. It was open hard, but hesitated beyond the arch and the Kornet was able to stay down and stay before his journey.

The cities had sealed Jrue Holiday under the basket, but Kornet recovered and contested his shot …

The actual highlight came in the middle of the fourth quarter when another large offensive run increased the Celtics 23. They drove their own Spain-pick and roll, the cities were caught on the rear screen and Cornet rolled freely into the basket to make an inverted alley-op-dark …

The seven blocks stood out, but the Celtics in this series (124.7 points per 100 possessions) in cornets were also on the ground in cornets.

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3. Brown takes over new roles

Brown didn't try to compensate for the goal himself. In fact, the first change we saw from Brown was in defense where he guarded Brunson in front of the opening tip (instead of vacation or white).

The defense of the Celtics against the star of the Knicks is more than just the man who protects him to start possessions, but Brown and his additional length clearly have an influence, with Brunson only achieving 22 points (7-17 FGS) after tied up the Celtics for 39 in game 4.

The Knicks set 41 ball screens for Brunson, but Brown did not give up the switch easily. In the same possession of the third quarter, in which Cornet blocked the cities (illustrated above), Brown Hart's ball screen navigated well enough to prevent Brunson from entering a pullup jumper.

“My goal was to stay between him and the basket,” said Brown. “I have the feeling that I can protect with the best of you.”

On the offensive, Brown had almost as many templates (12) as in the first four games (13). He did not forced hard shots and instead made the right readings when he gave advantages.

And the defensive assignment showed some of these advantages over the offensive. Since Brown Brunson guarded, the Knicks guard was sometimes caught when he guarded Brown in the transition.

That was the case in the middle of the first quarter when Brown brought Brunson to the post. He turned into the color, pulled two more defenders and made a great wrap pass to Kornet to make a layup …

When asked what his job with Tatum Out is, Brown replied: “You get it in several ways … Whatever is needed, I look forward to facilitating in every role.”

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4. Celtics dominate beyond the arch

The Orlando Magic was the worst 3-point shooting team in the league this season, and the Celtics exceeded their five games in the first round with 54 points from the arch.

In five games in this series, the Celtics exceeded the Knicks by 90 points from the 3-point range. The Knicks actually did a 3 more than Boston in the first two games, but the Celtics have done more in the last three 31.

The Celtics naturally set up an NBA record this season by making 53.6% of their shots from beyond the arch. Orlando was able to restrict his 3-point attempts in the first round, but they started early and often in this series. The games 1, 4 and 5 make up three of the four times in these playoffs that a team made at least 58% of its shots from a 3-point range.

There will be some bad recordings if they take so many 3s, and there were certainly some bad ones than the Celtics inflate 1 and 2 20 points in the games.

But almost all of her 49 attempts on Wednesday were a good look that was created by speed and ball movement, and mathematics has worked in the last three games. It was one of the top three games of the Celtics (129.6 points per 100 possessions) this season.

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5. One below, two to go?

After the Minnesota Timberwolves completed the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, teams who declined 3-1 in a best-of-seven have come back to win the series only 13 times (4.4%) in 295 options. And the chances are certainly against the Celtics.

But the champs have shown that they can beat the kinks in a certain night even without their best player.

“We just have to win one game,” said Mazzulla, “and take it from there.”

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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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