In one of the most surprising starts to an NBA Playoffs series we’ve seen in decades, the New York Knicks have gone into Boston and taken a 2-0 series lead from the reigning NBA Champion Celtics. Boston seemingly had game one wrapped up and in the bag before blowing a 20-point lead to a Knicks team that would simply not go away. Boston held an 18-point lead early into the second half, and ESPN analytics gave them a 97% chance to win the game with 6:47 remaining in the third quarter. But Jalen Brunson and company continued to chip away with good defense and some timely shooting. Next thing you know, the game is in overtime and the Knicks are up three with a little over a minute left, a lead they would hold onto until time expired.
After a crushing, and frankly embarrassing loss for the Celtics, it was almost unimaginable that head coach Joe Mazzulla would let his team lose another crucial home game in the postseason. So much so, that former Celtic great Paul Pierce vowed that if the Celtics lost game two he would walk shoeless 15 miles to work in a bath robe.
“If the Celtics lose Game 2 at home, I’m walking here tomorrow, 15 miles! In my robe, no shoes on, barefoot… Put the house on this game!”@paulpierce34 just put some high-stakes on this Celtics/Knicks game tonight 😰 pic.twitter.com/pCybIfAxq6
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) May 7, 2025
Déjà vu from Monday night, the Celtics found themselves leading the Knicks in the fourth quarter by 16 with 8:47 left. Surely the Celtics would not let history repeat itself and blow another late lead, right? Wrong. The Knicks went on a 21-2 run and took their first lead of the game with under two minutes left. You could visibly see the Celtics cracking under pressure trying to avoid another collapse, but the Knicks playing with all the momentum stole another valuable win on the road to take a commanding 2-0 series lead heading back to the (other) Garden.
Paul Pierce proved to be a man of his word and left his house early this morning to head to the FS1 studios, donning his bath robe and capturing his adventure on his Instagram story. Much like Pierce did today, the Celtics now find themselves in a very precarious position now having to go into New York with no room for error. The series will continue Saturday afternoon at 2:30 on ABC. Even after two wins on the road, the Knicks come into game three as a 5.5-point underdog.
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