Celtics are in deep doo-doo
Odds favor Knicks to win series. Will Pierce take the walk? Clark delivers
Good morning, all!
The fire alarm went off at TD Garden around10:30 Wednesday night, forcing those who remained in the building to evacuate. The all-clear signal sounded 20 minutes later. In reality, a three-alarm fire occurred in the arena about an hour before, as the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics blew a 20-point, second-half lead for the second straight game and lost to the Knicks, 91-90.
The Celtics are now down 0-2 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-finals, heading to New York for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon at 3:30. Expect a raucous Madison Square Garden, the likes New York has not witnessed for quite some time. Boston’s Jaylen Brown weighed in on another stunning defeat:
This is an opportunity to show what we’re made of. Obviously we wouldn’t like to be in this position, but we’re here now. So we’ve got to respond.
The Knicks Jaylen Brunson buried two free throws to nail down the victory and commented on New York’s second straight improbable comeback:
I don’t know, but I’m just happy we found a way to win. That’s some wild stuff right there.
Can the Celtics, after dropping the first two at home, comeback and win the series? Sure, but the team faces long odds. There have been 463 playoff series at 2-0 and the team leading has won 429 of them. Translation: the Celtics have a 7.3% chance of winning the series.
Meanwhile, former Celtic Paul Pierce said he would walk 15 miles barefoot in a robe, if the Celtics lost Game 2. Social media is now ablaze whether Pierce will fulfill his promise.
Other DAN ON SPORTS top stories for Thursday, May 8, 2025:
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Stars take 1-0 lead on Jets in NHL Round 2 playoffs. Maple Leafs go 2-up on defending champion Panthers
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DAN