Boston Celtics fans who sat down for a casual viewing experience (or hate watch) of Tuesday's Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers were met with a crippling case of deja vu.
Cleveland led by 22 points with 7:44 remaining in the fourth quarter -- then it got worse.
New York finished the quarter on a 31-9 run to tie the series opener with just over six seconds to play. The Cavs created a clean three-point look for Sam Merril, whose shot came so close to dropping that Mike Breen was forced to change his call mid “BANG.”
Breen with ELITE brakes on the bang. Incredible deceleration from one of the greats. pic.twitter.com/pVpqGsoTah
— Tyler Parker (@tylrparkr) May 20, 2026
Once this game went to overtime, there was no shot the Knicks were going to lose it. They outscored Cleveland 14-3 in the extra frame to seal a historic comeback win.
Being in the same category as the Cavs is... jarring
Unfortunately, the Knicks and comeback wins have become synonymous over the past two seasons, and they’ve done so largely at the expense of the Celtics.
Boston let not one, but two 20-point leads slip away against New York in the playoffs last season. The Cs led by 20 points with 17:47 remaining in Game 1 and then again 14:32 remaining in Game 2. Neither collapse was as rapid as Cleveland’s, but, combined they were just as tragic.
Both sides had the opportunity to take firm control of their respective series and failed to do so. Not only that, but when a team lets a win become a loss in the postseason, it just feels extremely difficult to recover from.
Great teams can do it, but one like Cleveland, which was already the underdog heading into the series now feels like they’ve already got a foot in the grave.
For Celtics fans, not only was the Cavaliers’ collapse triggering, but it was also a brutal reality check. Boston’s playoff run came to a devastating end a few weeks back. Now, they’ve got a heap of questions to answer entering the offseason, and seem to be more on the level of the Cavs -- a team that I personally had no respect for ahead of the postseason -- than that of a true contender.
The loser DNA is just too similar. Blowing multiple 20-point leads and blowing a 3-1 series lead this year to the Philadelphia 76ers is something that fans would expect from a pretender like the Cavs, not a proven championship core like Boston’s.
Of course, the Celtics’ front office can’t be watching playoff games, overreacting to all of them, and making kneejerk moves. Whichever changes come this summer have to be calculated and well thought out.
With that being said, looking in the mirror and seeing James Harden is a scary sight.
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