Celtics Looking Like Themselves After Game 3 vs. Knicks

The New York Knicks felt the avalanche from the Boston Celtics from beyond the 3-point line in Game 3 of their playoff series.

After nailing just 25 percent of their 3-pointers in each of the first two games, the Celtics doubled that in Game 4 to 50 percent. The Knicks countered with a 20 percent performance of their own, cutting their series lead in half.

The Athletic insider Fred Katz believes the Celtics' Game 3 performance was more of what teams have expected to see from Boston.

"This performance felt inevitable. The Celtics sank only a quarter of their 3-point attempts during each of the first two games of the series, but they are the most unrelenting long-range attack in league history — the single-season leaders in makes and attempts. Boston was due for a 3-point outbreak. Today was the day it finally occurred," Katz wrote.

"The Celtics began hot, 6-of-7 from deep in the first quarter. They finished 20-of-40 for the game."

"They feasted on the Knicks’ inconsistent pick-and-roll resistance from the start. Karl-Anthony Towns, especially, wasn’t executing with the precision he did over the first two games of the series. Instead of switching or venturing all the way up to the level of the screen on pick-and-rolls, he sagged back too far. It allowed easier pull-up jumpers for Tatum, who finished 5-of-8 from deep. The wings didn’t close out successfully enough to disrupt Derrick White or Pritchard from firing up open looks."

"Finally, after a couple of performances with Boston moving in slow motion, the Celtics looked like the Celtics."

In order for the Knicks to combat the 3-point barrage, they will have to continue defending the Celtics like they did in the first two games. If that were to happen, the Knicks may find themselves up 3-1 after Game 4.