Celtics make unwanted history amid ugly 3-point shooting in Knicks series

The Boston Celtics had a historically bad shooting night against the New York Knicks in Game 1 of their second-round series. Jayson Tatum and Derrick White missed 22 three-pointers combined in the opening game, a 105-108 loss at home. Joe Mazzulla’s squad followed it up with another frigid night from deep, missing an additional 30 shots from range.

Through two games, the Celtics set a record for the most missed three-pointers in a two-game span in NBA Playoffs, according to ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel. The shooting slump is team-wide, with no player who saw the floor for Boston making more than three shots from deep.

The Knicks stole both games at TD Garden by less than five points after making daring comebacks in the fourth quarter. They relied on their defense and the clutch play of Jalen Brunson to take them to victory, and the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year did just that against the defending champs. His scoring down the stretch, combined with Mikal Bridges’ defensive efforts are why the Knicks head back to Madison Square Garden up 2-0 in the series.

Mazzulla stuck to his guns after Game 1, saying that his offensive strategy is still sound and that it was just a bad night. After another poor performance from three-point range, the Celtics head coach might need to consider a new game plan.

Boston did not struggle last postseason, needing no more than five games to win each series on the way to the title. After taking the Orlando Magic down in five, the Celtics need at least six games to win this series.

A series win for the Knicks means more than an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. They traded for OG Anunoby, Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns specifically with the Celtics in mind. They made those moves to give themselves the best chance to get past them in the postseason. Things are looking good after two exciting finishes see them winning two games to none.