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- New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics: 3 Takeaways from Game 1
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics: 3 Takeaways from Game 1
The New York Knicks shocked the basketball world by going on the road and taking Game 1 from the Boston Celtics.
The Knicks now hold a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals — a round where they have lost two years in a row.
New York was given no chance in this series and erased a 20-point deficit in the first game to win in overtime.
Below, check out three major takeaways from Game 1.
3. Celtics 3-Point Disaster
The Celtics made the most three-pointers during the regular season. This is no surprise when looking at the fact that Boston took the most by a large margin. The playoffs have been the same trend. Boston set a new record for most missed three’s in a postseason game with 45. The Celtics went 15-for-60 from three-point territory in Game 1. The abundance of shots taken from deep is insane but that is the way the Celtics play. Will this trend continue? It seems likely but the Celtics will have to perform much better from deep.
2. Mikal Bridges found a way
Mikal Bridges came to the Knicks with a reputation of being a defensive standout. He struggled all season long but turned in one of his best games of the season on Monday night. Bridges struggled offensively, scoring just eight points on 3-for-13 from the field. He added six rebounds and seven assists. Defensively, Bridges was on top of his game all night and it ended with a steal against Jaylen Brown on the final possession. Bridges played an incredible 51 minutes as well.
1. Knicks closers vs. Celtics closers
The Celtics do not feel good about losing a 20-point lead in Game 1 but have to feel pretty good about this game getting to overtime with the way both Brown and Jayson Tatum performed. Both scored 23 points each but combined to shoot 14-43 from the field and 5-25 from three-point range. On the other side, Jalen Brunson scored 29 points and made crucial three’s in the fourth quarter to get the Knicks ahead. In overtime, Bridges knocked down a key three while Hart was all over the floor as usual. This series will come down to which group of stars performs best in crunch time and in Game 1, it was the Knicks.
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