May 10, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guards Miles McBride (2) and Jalen Brunson (11) sit on the bench in the closing minute of the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics during game three of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Knicks Lament Lack of Urgency, Slow Start in Game 3 Thud

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Geoff Magliocchetti | Last updated May 11, 2025 6:15 AM ET

It was deja vu all over again for the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics ... save for the most important memory of all.

The Knicks once again fell behind by a sizable margin to the defending champions in the latest edition of their ongoing regional rivalry. This time, however, a comeback was not to be: after erasing a pair of 20-point leads in Beantown, the Knicks were unable to climb over a mountain that peaked at 31 before Boston somewhat settled for a 115-93 victory at Madison Square Garden on Saturday late afternoon.

"There's not a lot I can say. It's a lot that we need to discuss tomorrow and figure out," Brunson said of the loss in video from SNY. "[We] need to play with more of a sense of urgency."

Jalen Brunson Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

"Urgency" was perhaps the most frequent quote uttered on MSG premises on Saturday next to "three-point goal" after Boston's 20 triples and "Mitchell Robinson to the line, shooting two." To the point of Brunson and others, the Knicks trailed from the start and never truly threatened the Celtics this time around after the comeback couple at TD Garden.

Save for a brief 2-2 tie, the lead exclusively stayed green throughout the game and never dipped back to a single digit after Boston ended the first quarter with a 16-point advantage. The Knicks have been trailing at the end of the first period in each of the first three games of the second round, including the last two by a combined 27 tallies.

The Celtics maintained their advantage by rediscovering their record-breaking outside game, which shot an even 50 percent at 20-of-40 from deep. They scored half of their 36 first period points through triples, hitting all but one of their first seven tries after missing an NBA-record 75 over the first two showings.

"We didn't play with enough urgency, enough physicality," said Josh Hart, per video from SNY. "Now we've got to reset, regroup, watch film, and see where we can get better."

"We knew it was going to be tough," added Mikal Bridges in another video from SNY. "I think we might've let human nature get to us a little bit, but I think they just came out more urgent knowing that they're down. We've got to be better. We have to come out and have urgency no matter where the series is. We have to treat every game like it's 0-0."

The constant comebacks may prove thrilling. But, as the Knicks admitted, Saturday hinted that it might be far from sustainable.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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