Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Sends Clear 7-Word Message After Win Over Knicks

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt John | Last updated May 10, 2025 7:43 PM ET

The Boston Celtics entered Game 3 in their series against the New York Knicks down 2-0. It's fair to say that it was a must-win for them going into New York. The Celtics not only won but also kept their composure and beat the Knicks, 115-93.

While the Celtics should be glad to finally notch a victory in this series, what makes it harder is that they were up by exactly 20 in their two previous playoff matchups, then just barely blew both to lose Games 1 and 2 in the fourth quarter.

The key difference was that the Celtics made their three-pointers in Game 3, hitting 20 of their 40 three-point shot attempts. Doing so kept the Knicks at arm's length throughout Game 3.

After the game, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla revealed what it was like for the Celtics leading up to Game during his postgame press conference.

“You’ve just gotta tap into your darkness,” Mazzulla told reporters, per The Athletic's Jay King.

Joe Mazzulla: “You don’t get to dictate the test that’s in front of you.”

Said the last 72 hours were “dark but in a good way.”

“You’ve just gotta tap into your darkness.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 10, 2025

This series with the Knicks marked the first time the Celtics have been trailing a series since 2023. It also marked the first time they were down 2-0 since the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.

However, the Celtics have a proven track record on the road, having gone 33-8 during the 2024-25 regular season. They have also won multiple crucial playoff games on the road with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the way. Now that they've got the monkey off their back in this series, they'll have to prove they can do it again on Monday in game 4.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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