Sometimes it just isn’t your night. On the final game of the Boston Celtics’ three-game road trip following the All-Star break, Joe Mazzulla’s men could not hit water if they fell out of a boat. From the get-go, the 3-point shot was not falling.
It may have been fatigue or the loss of Jaylen Brown, but the Cs refuse to adjust, continuing to put up shots from long range. Jayson Tatum still looks like he left his jump shot in Salt Lake City, and with his teammates not hitting the target this time, Boston was without question going to struggle.
The comeback over a red-hot 76ers team on Saturday night in one of the best wins of the season most likely took a whole lot out of them, and when the Cs made it to Madison Square Garden, it looked like they simply ran out of gas.
At many points Boston would revert to attacking the basket, but then return to the great equalizer even though it was evident from the jump there was a lip on the basket. The Celtics began the game by collecting their third-lowest point total of the campaign at just 15, and the offense would never find it footing from there. 21.4% from the beyond the arc is by far the worst display from three this season, but how does that compare to some of Boston’s dismal shooting nights of the past?
For just the 12th time since 2019, the Boston Celtics managed to shot under 21.5% from beyond the arc in a game that included 20 or more attempts
We hit a shooting slump from beyond the arc in New York that spoiled our attempt at a perfect road trip. pic.twitter.com/XNlFKFIfN1
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 28, 2023
It is now the third season running that the Boston Celtics have had a night of 22% or worse from three in a single contest, and two of those occasions where against the Knicks.
Out of the 19 times since 2019 that the Celtics have shot under 22% from beyond the arc, only two of them concluded in wins. The common thread between those two contests, outrebounding the opposition, and playing tough defense on both the perimeter while contesting shots closer to the basket. Tom Thibodeau’s side is also the third best team in the league when it comes to guarding the three-point shot, behind only the Pelicans and Bucks. In the last five contests, the Knicks have held their opponent to the second lowest three point percentage in a game over that span.
Boston let New York dictate the pace of the game from the opening tip. RJ Barrett should not be able to score eight straight points to end the half. The defense needed to be far more physical and prevent any sort of penetration than was presented to the Knicks over the first two quarters of the game.
For a team this talented, the return to prolific shooting is inevitable. Despite that, Boston needs to find some sort of way to carve out wins when the shots are just not falling on that particular day. When it comes to the postseason, there are going to be days like this.
The Knicks are not a bad team either. Some of those 3-point shots were relatively on the open side, but a loss to a team that has now won six straight games makes this loss a little more digestible. Gone are the days where a win over New York is almost a complete certainty. The former Boston Celtics associate head coach has revigorated a team that now has potential to make some noise into the second round of the playoffs.
Boston now returns to the TD Garden for a three-game home stand with Brown reportedly returning to action on Wednesday night against another top Eastern Conference foe, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Coming back to Boston for the first time since the break should get the Cs back into the swing of things as they look to kick on with just 20 games left in the regular season.
At the end of the day, it was a loss that fans should not be overly worried about. Things happen. Shots don’t fall, and frustration mounts. New York is a quality basketball team. With a meeting this upcoming Sunday at the TD Garden, Boston has an opportunity to enact revenge quickly.