Celtics in crisis: How did Boston blow back-to-back 20-point leads to the Knicks?

The defending NBA champion Boston Celtics find themselves in unfamiliar and dangerous territory—trailing 2-0 in their Eastern Conference semi-final series after back-to-back collapses against the New York Knicks.

Boston surrendered 20-point leads in both Games 1 and 2, despite having swept the Knicks 4-0 in the regular season. The game-one loss marked the first time the Celtics had fallen behind in a playoff series since 2023. But Wednesday’s near-identical meltdown may have been even more concerning.

“In two games, we’re up 20 and somehow don’t win—it's inexcusable,” said Celtics forward Jaylen Brown. “But we’re going to learn from it. We’re going to respond.”

Led by Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics went 16-3 in last year’s postseason en route to their record-setting 18th NBA championship. But they’ve stumbled badly out of the gate this series. On Wednesday, Boston missed 14 of its final 15 shots and went just 10-for-40 from three-point range—after missing 45 attempts from deep in Game 1.

Tatum, the team's star forward, is struggling mightily, shooting just 12-for-42 across the two games with eight turnovers. One of those came in the final seconds of Game 2, when Mikal Bridges stripped the ball to seal New York’s 91-90 win.

“I take full ownership for the way I’ve played in this series,” Tatum said Thursday. “I can’t sugarcoat anything. I need to be better. And I expect to be a lot better.”

As the Celtics prepare for Game 3 at Madison Square Garden. Tatum emphasized the need for accountability: “It’s time for all of us to look in the mirror.”

Knicks fans have reason to hope. Only five teams in NBA history have come back from losing the first two games of a best-of-seven series at home—and the Celtics now face that daunting path.

Still, Boston has the resume to pull it off. They haven’t lost three straight games since the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, when they dropped the first three games to the Miami Heat before forcing a Game 7.

This season, Boston has posted a better road record (33-8) than at home (28-13), giving them reason for optimism as the series shifts to New York.

“In a way, it kind of takes all the pressure off us,” said center Kristaps Porzingis, who has been hampered by illness. “Maybe the Knicks are the favorites now. We were expected to win. Now, we’ve got nothing to lose.”

Tatum echoed that mindset: “It’s not about our season being two games from over. That hasn’t crossed any of our minds. We’ve got a game Saturday at 3:30 that should be a lot of fun. If you’re a competitor, you should look forward to that moment.”