What 2-0 hole? Here come the Road Celtics

Those who've closely followed the Celtics in recent years know they thrive — and play better — on the road. 

During the 2024-25 regular season, the reigning NBA champs finished 33-8 in away fixtures, the third-greatest road record in NBA history. The C's could have clinched the best away record ever if they hadn't rested their starters through the season's final week.  

The Celtics became the second team in NBA history to finish with a superior road record than home record (28-13) — a marker of a veteran ball club that doesn't get flustered by hostile crowds.

Better road than home team? 

Joe Mazzulla's men similarly fared on the road during the 2024 playoffs, finishing 9-2 at home and 7-1 away en route to the championship. This continued a similar trend from recent postseasons. 

In 2023, the Celtics were 5-6 at home and 6-3 away. In 2022, they were 6-6 at home and 8-4 away en route to the NBA Finals. 

As the Celtics find themselves in a 2-0 hole against the Knicks, they can draw inspiration from their 2023 Eastern Conference Finals against the Heat. In that series, they similarly dropped the first two home games and went down 3-0 before knocking off three consecutive wins to force a Game 7. Although they ultimately fell to the Heat, the Celtics showed incredible resolve to extend the series. 

If there's one team that can overcome a 2-0 hole, it's these Celtics. Their 22-9 road record over the last three postseasons is tied for the best in NBA history over a 31-game span.