Celtics rediscover their groove in Game 3 win over Knicks

That looked more like the Boston Celtics.

On Saturday, the defending NBA champions got back into their second-round series against the New York Knicks with a 115-93 win. After two unconscionable fourth-quarter collapses, the Celtics once again looked like the East's best team, building a massive first-half lead and never looking back.

Boston was undone by awful three-point shooting in Games 1 and 2 but was crisp from long range in Game 3 rout.

The Celtics shot 25 percent during the first two games, and their 75 misses were the most in a two-game span in NBA playoff history.

In Saturday's win, the Celtics were 20-of-40 from distance, with six players making at least two.

Boston should feel confident in its ability to come back and win the series. As bad as those first two losses were, it's not an accident the Celtics have taken 20-point leads in all three games this series. 

They're the superior team, which made the first two games such a surprise. 

Things could get uglier for the Knicks.

Boston still hasn't gotten the best out of forward Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown. The two combined to shoot 39.5 percent (15-of-38) in Game 3. For the series, Tatum has made 32.3 percent of his attempts (20-of-62), while Brown is at 36.1 percent (22-of-61).

If either (or both) gets hot going forward, the start to this series will soon be a distant memory.

The Celtics more closely resembled the team we've seen for most of the past two seasons in Saturday's wire-to-wire win. The Knicks still lead the series 2-1, but Saturday could be the series' turning point.