BOSTON — It’s reasonable to think that a team poised to take another step toward its ultimate objective would be entirely concentrated. One might presume that a team on the brink of accomplishing something not seen from any predecessor in 25 years would perform at an exceptional level. One might also presume that a team holding a 3-1 series advantage against the reigning champions, who were missing their star player, would be determined to secure victory decisively and quickly.
The New York Knicks possessed the chance to achieve and demonstrate all these aspects on Wednesday night, yet they failed to do so. New York suffered a defeat in the potential series-clinching game against the Boston Celtics, 127-102, and now confronts a crucial Game 6 in New York on Friday evening.
This series has been exceptionally distinctive. The Knicks hold the series lead but possess a negative point differential of 35. Such an occurrence is undoubtedly rare in NBA history five games into a playoff contest. New York has found itself trailing by a minimum of 14 points in every one of the five games. Once again, it must be uncommon for a team consistently enduring such deficits to be leading at this juncture of a series. The Knicks have managed this through resilience, moments of near-flawless play, and with some assistance from the opponent’s overconfidence. Nevertheless, New York experiences too many periods of problematic performance where it fails to execute basic fundamentals.
The Game 5 loss stands as possibly the most glaring illustration of this.
“A lot,” remarked Knicks star Jalen Brunson when queried about his biggest disappointment regarding the 25-point loss. “A lot. It’s just … I’m not even going to say it. Just a lot.”
The primary area for concern is the 3-point defense, especially during transition. New York’s performance in defending the 3-point line against one of the league’s top shooting teams was nearly disastrous. The Knicks failed to communicate. Their reactions were slow. They did not execute the fundamentals. Consequently, the Celtics built confidence early, which benefited them even during the infrequent moments New York defended the 3-point line effectively.
Boston’s initial basket of the game was not spectacular. There were no elaborate maneuvers. The Knicks simply failed to execute.
Even before the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown crossed the half-court line, Mikal Bridges can be seen attempting to organize everyone in transition, signaling to Karl-Anthony Towns to guard Kristaps Porziņġis so he could track Derrick White, his assigned player, in the corner. After gesturing for several seconds, Bridges seemed to believe Towns would not move out to the Porziņġis screen. Just as Bridges decided to handle it himself, Towns then made an abrupt move towards Porziņġis. As a result, both players found themselves in an ineffective defensive position.
Brown immediately recognized the error and passed to White, who was wide open in the corner for an uncontested 3-pointer. White concluded the game with 34 points, making 7 of 13 shots from beyond the arc.
The clip presented above illustrates the Knicks’ lack of awareness of their surroundings and deficient communication.
Brown advanced the ball quickly in transition but lacked a significant advantage with OG Anunoby positioned in front of him. Towns was not retreating with urgency, and Brunson, though he did sprint back, was unaware of the positioning of the other Celtics players. Towns only began to sprint when he noticed Luke Kornet overtaking him. White astutely trailed the play, allowing him to step into another unguarded 3-point shot.
New York failed to get properly matched up, even though the Celtics did not possess an advantage during the initial transition sequence.
“We have to recognize that we cannot be tardy in getting back,” stated coach Tom Thibodeau. “And you cannot afford to give them open shots. We must be more aggressive with our close-outs and in denying them space, and our communication needs to improve.
“It’s a two-part issue. The dedication to sprint back and then to communicate our understanding of the situation. We cannot have personal distractions. If you miss a shot or if things aren’t going your way offensively, and you’re jogging back … you must sprint, you must communicate, and we must be matched up. If one player is slow, you’re going to concede an open shot. That’s unacceptable against this team.”
Even when their defense was set, the Knicks encountered difficulties at times.
In the aforementioned clip, Miles McBride, typically a dependable and trustworthy on-ball defender, went under the Porziņġis screen set for Pritchard, who shot 40.7 percent from 3-point range on over seven attempts per game during the regular season. By going under the screen, McBride permitted Pritchard to take an unchallenged shot. It’s highly unlikely the scouting report advised going under on a shooter of Pritchard’s caliber.
Here, there was either a breakdown in communication or a mistake in defensive assignments between Brunson and Towns, which resulted in Jrue Holiday getting a wide-open 3-point attempt in the pick-and-roll.
Brunson appeared to believe he was meant to show after Sam Hauser set the screen, to facilitate Towns switching onto Holiday. Brunson made a move towards Holiday and then quickly shifted to cover Hauser on the slip. Towns initially seemed to think they were not switching, as he can be seen stepping out towards Hauser. By the time Towns realized Brunson was going to guard the Celtics’ big man, he attempted to recover and contest Holiday’s shot, but it was too late.
Lastly, this defensive error by the Knicks occurred following a made basket. Boston inbounded the ball and still managed an open 3-pointer with 20 seconds remaining on the shot clock.
Once more, this was simply a case of poor execution and communication from everyone except Bridges. He gestured for someone to cover White in transition, but both Josh Hart and Brunson moved towards Al Horford. The veteran astutely recognized the defensive focus on him and immediately passed to White, who, yet again, took an uncontested practice shot.
Transition defense has been a persistent problem for New York throughout the season. At times, the Knicks can execute at a high standard, but such instances are too infrequent. It seems that every few games, New York faces questions about why these lapses in communication and execution in the open court occur.
It remains an answer that everyone is still trying to find, even at this advanced stage of the playoffs.
“I wish I could inform you. I wish I could identify it precisely,” Hart commented. “If I could, we would rectify it. I believe that during the third quarter, there was considerable frustration, and that permeated everything we were doing. We must ensure that we can manage what is within our control, and that includes our communication, effort, and intensity.”
The Knicks still hold a favorable position to reach the Eastern Conference finals. However, this may not last if the issues from Game 5 resurface on Friday night. It would be advantageous for New York to conclude this series promptly, as the fast-playing and formidable Indiana Pacers are already resting and awaiting the victor. Yet, there is little sense in considering Indiana if the Knicks are unable to execute fundamental plays against the defending champions.
The Celtics present a significant challenge on their own. New York cannot afford to continue making things simpler for them.
(Photo of Jaylen Brown and OG Anunoby: Bob DeChiara / Imagn Images)
Here’s the rewritten article with the added editorial paragraph at the end:
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BOSTON — One would assume a team with an opportunity to move one step closer to its ultimate goal would be focused. One would assume a team on the cusp of doing something no team before it has done in 25 years would execute at the highest degree. One would assume a team with a 3-1 series lead over the defending champions, who are without their best player, would be eager to put the champs down on the mat as soon as possible.
The New York Knicks had an opportunity to do and show all of those things Wednesday night, and yet they did none of them. New York lost the potential series-ending game to the Boston Celtics 127-102 and now faces a critical Game 6 matchup in New York on Friday night.
This series has been as unique as they come. The Knicks have the series lead but carry a minus-35 point differential. Surely that hasn’t happened much in NBA history five games into a playoff matchup. New York has trailed by at least 14 points in all five games. Again, it has to be rare for a team consistently facing those deficits to be ahead at this stage in a series. The Knicks have pulled it off by being resilient, near perfect in spurts and with the help of arrogance from the opponent. However, New York has too many spells of troubling play when it’s unable to follow through with the basics.
The Game 5 loss might be the worst example yet.
“A lot,” Knicks star Jalen Brunson said when asked what disappointed him most about the 25-point defeat. “A lot. It’s just … I’m not even going to say it. Just a lot.”
The best place to focus is the 3-point defense, particularly in transition. New York was borderline abysmal at defending the 3-point line against one of the NBA’s premier shooting teams. The Knicks didn’t communicate. They were slow to react. They didn’t execute the fundamentals. In turn, the Celtics were able to gain confidence early, and that helped them in the rare instances when New York did guard the 3-point line correctly.
Boston’s first bucket of the game wasn’t flashy. There were no tricks. The Knicks just didn’t execute.
Even before the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown crossed half court, you can see Mikal Bridges trying to get everyone matched up in transition, and he signaled to Karl-Anthony Towns to cover Kristaps Porziņġis so he can go track Derrick White, his cover, in the corner. After pointing for several seconds, Bridges believed Towns wasn’t going to step out toward the Porziņġis screen. By the time Bridges decided he’d do it himself, Towns then made the sudden move toward Porziņġis. Now both are in no man’s land.
Brown read the mishap immediately and found White wide open in the corner for a practice shot from 3. White finished the game with 34 points on 7-of-13 shooting from 3.
This clip above shows the Knicks being unaware of their surroundings and not communicating.
Brown pushed the pace in transition but didn’t have a real advantage with OG Anunoby in front of him. Towns wasn’t getting back with urgency, and Brunson, while he did sprint back, wasn’t aware of where the rest of the Celtics were on the floor. Towns didn’t begin sprinting until he saw Luke Kornet passing him. White smartly lagged behind the action and was able to step into another wide-open 3.
New York didn’t get matched up despite the Celtics not having an advantage in the initial transition push.
“We have to understand that we can’t be slow getting back,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “And you can’t give open shots to them. We have to be tougher with our close-outs and taking air space away, and we have to get better with our communication.
“It’s twofold. The commitment to sprint back and then communicate that we understand what’s going on. We can’t have any personal dilemmas. If you miss a shot or it’s not going well for you offensively, and you’re jogging back … you have to sprint, you have to communicate and we have to be matched up. If one guy is slow, you’re going to give them an open shot. You can’t do that against this team.”
Even with a set defense, the Knicks had issues at times.
In the above clip, Miles McBride, who is a trusty and reliable on-ball defender, went under the Porziņġis screen for Pritchard, who was 40.7 percent from 3 on over seven attempts during the regular season. By going under, McBride allowed Pritchard to step into a routine shot. I can’t imagine the scouting report said to go under on a shooter of Pritchard’s status.
Here, this was either poor communication or someone messed up the defensive coverage between Brunson and Towns, and it allowed Jrue Holiday to shoot a wide-open 3 in the pick-and-roll.
Brunson believed he was supposed to show after Sam Hauser sets the screen to help Towns get switched out onto Holiday. Brunson stabbed at Holiday and then immediately shuffled out to cover Hauser on the slip. Towns initially believed they were not switching, as you can see him stepping out toward Hauser. By the time Towns realized Brunson was going to cover the Celtics’ big man, Towns tried to recover and contest the Holiday shot, but it was too late.
Lastly, this Knicks’ defensive blunder came after a made basket. Boston inbounded the ball and still got an open 3 with 20 seconds left on the shot clock.
Again, this was just poor execution and communication from everyone other than Bridges. He pointed for someone to mark White in transition, but Josh Hart and Brunson went to Al Horford. The veteran did a good job of recognizing the attention and immediately passed to White, who, once again, stepped into a practice shot.
Transition defense has been a real issue for New York throughout the season. Sometimes the Knicks can execute at a high level, but those instances are too few and far between. Seemingly, every few games, New York is asked why the lack of communication and execution in the open floor pops up.
It’s still an answer everyone is searching for, even this deep into the playoffs.
“I wish I could tell you. I wish I could pinpoint it,” Hart said. “If I could, we’d address it. I think that third quarter, there was a lot of frustration, and that seeped into everything that we were doing. We have to make sure that we can control what we can control, and that’s our communication, effort and intensity.”
The Knicks are still in the driver’s seat to the Eastern Conference finals. However, they might not be for long if what happened in Game 5 pops up again Friday night. It would benefit New York to wrap this series up sooner rather than later, with the fast-paced and red-hot Indiana Pacers already sitting at home, resting and waiting for the winner. Yet, there’s no point in thinking about Indiana if the Knicks aren’t going to execute the basics against the defending champions.
The Celtics are already a handful as is. New York can’t keep making it easier for them.
(Photo of Jaylen Brown and OG Anunoby: Bob DeChiara / Imagn Images)
The Knicks’ Game 5 collapse, as detailed in the breakdowns above, isn’t just a singular bad night; it’s a stark spotlight on the inconsistencies that have shadowed them even during this surprising playoff run. While their resilience has been a defining trait, the persistent defensive lapses and communication failures against the Celtics suggest a team teetering on a dangerous edge. Relying on grit to consistently paper over such fundamental execution gaps is a risky strategy, one that becomes increasingly perilous as the playoff stakes climb and opponents ruthlessly exploit any weakness.