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Magic Johnson's Clear Opinion on Why Knicks Lost to Jayson Tatum-Less Celtics

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated May 16, 2025 8:11 AM ET

Jayson Tatum suffered a torn Achilles in Game 4 of the Boston Celtics' NBA playoff series against the New York Knicks. As a result, many expected the Beantown team to lose in Game 5 and exit the postseason.

The Knicks entered Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead, and against a Celtics team without their best player, their fans thought they would be able to close out the series and book a ticket to the Eastern Conference finals.

Instead, however, Boston stunned New York and extended the series with a 127-102 blowout on Wednesday. Derrick White led the way with 34 points, while Jaylen Brown had a near triple-double of 26 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists.

While the NBA world was in shock by what happened, hoops legend Magic Johnson shared his take on what caused the Knicks' loss.

For Johnson, the Knicks weren't exactly prepared to face a Celtics team without Tatum, adding that Boston took advantage of their speed and ball movement to win.

"The NY Knicks lost the game because they didn’t have time to adjust to the new Celtics team without Jayson Tatum," Johnson shared.

"The Celtics played faster, had more ball movement, and more drives and kicks for open 3s in last night's game."

The NY Knicks lost the game because they didn’t have time to adjust to the new Celtics team without Jayson Tatum. The Celtics played faster, had more ball movement, and more drives and kicks for open 3s in last night's game.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 15, 2025

For what it's worth, the Celtics did shoot better than the Knicks from the 3-point line. Boston was 22-of-49 from deep—almost double of New York's 12 triples made.

The Celtics also finished with 27 assists and saw their bench unit score 40 points, further highlighting the balanced offense they displayed in the game.

It remains to be seen if the Knicks can respond to the Celtics' adjustments come Game 6. One thing is certain, though: Boston is not going down without a fight.

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

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