The Celtics ‘DO NOT CARE what you think!’ 🗣️ Brian Windhorst expects more of the same for Boston

The Celtics ‘DO NOT CARE what you think!’ 🗣️ Brian Windhorst expects more of the same for Boston

The Nuggets, the Knicks, they stole game one against the two teams favored to win their respective conferences. But oddsmakers, they don’t see either happening again in game two. Both the Thunder and Celtics, they are doubledigit favorites tonight. But honestly, if these playoffs have taught us anything, Brian, it’s that if you’re trying to predict anything, good freaking luck. But in game one, Porzingis, he didn’t play in the second half here. What’s his status for game two? Well, Ma, good news and bad news for Chris Apps Porzingis. The good news is he has been listed as probable for tonight’s game two. Assuming no setbacks, he should be able to go. The bad news is is Joe Missoula told us that this illness that took him out of the second half of game one is still the after effects of the illness that took him out for three weeks back in February and March. It was something that Porzingisa said doctors never really got diagnosed and it really affected him with fatigue and upper respiratory. And this might explain why he has struggled so much in the playoffs so far. He’s shooting just 32% over the first six games. He’s just two of 17 on three-pointers. So, this is something to monitor going forward and obviously very troubling because it’s something that was concerning back then if it’s still affecting him now in May. Yeah, that’s certainly something to keep an eye on. It’s not a typical illness that continues uh that long. So, certainly we’ll keep watching Chris Daps Porzingis here. Uh, but the Celtics, they also shot an NBA postseason record, 60 three-pointers in game one, but they missed 45 of them, Brian. That’s also a postseason record. So, do you expect anything different from the Celtics tonight? Nope. Uh, they do not care what you think. There was a brief pause by, you know, Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum and even Joe Missoula admitted uh late Monday night. Maybe we took 8 to 10 that were questionable. After he reviewed the film, he just took it all back. He was once again uh defiant about it. He believes that this is their strategy. This is how they’re going to play. He’s like, “We got open shots.” He didn’t say anything about the Knicks. We know the Knicks got open shots. They made them. They look great. What about us? We’re going to make them. So, if they’re open, they’re going to take them. Now, the reality is if they get into matchup situations where Jason Tatum is in front of Jaylen Brunson or Carl Towns, especially late in a close game, I expect Tatum to look to attack more than settle for the three. But the overall strategy will not change in Boston. I appreciate the the commitment there, the unwavering commitment to the game plan. That is, if nothing else, the Boston Celtics. Brian Winhorse, thank you very much. Let’s take it from the parket to the court here because Andrea and Chennet, they both identified two spots on the hardwood that can prove to be the difference not just tonight but over the course of the series. What is that? Yeah. Well, I’m going to start with the Celtics because we know the Celtics love to have if the cameras right here, the ball on the outside, right on the outside on the perimeter, but the key for them is the key. It is the paint. It is this brown area. And you heard Brian Winhorse talk about how they’re going to attack mismatches. Now, I would love to see some layups, a reverse layup, an inside foot finish. I would love to see those things, but I’m not even going to go that far because for the Celtics, all I really want to see paint touches. If they can get touches, this is what it could look like if they don’t settle for threes. This is a mismatch. Now look here. If Jason Tatum attacks Carl Anthony Towns, the help side defender can rotate and then you have a better shot. This is a good shot into a great shot from Derek White in the corner. Derek White could even cut in and get a two, but he won’t. He’s going to stay out for three. That would be a better three-point shot. Then watch here. Jaylen Brown, he gets the ball. If this is a shot fake and a drive, what happens? The defense has to rotate and you are in a twoon-one situation. Two Boston Celtics on Josh Hart. He would have to decide and you get a better shot from a good three to a better three off of paint touches. That’s something the Celtics could try to implement. They missed 45 threes. The ones off the dribble and highly contested threes. Those are the ones they could swap for touches right here. Do you know what the Boston Celtics also need to do, y’all? They need to keep this game out of clutch time because it is in clutch time. It’s Jaylen Brunson’s world, which means he is going to cook. He is going to feast on the perimeter. That’s where he does his damage. And when you see these plays, it’s not necessarily, and I said it before, what you do, it’s how you do it. We call him Big Body Brunson for a reason. One, the Knicks have chemistry on this play. Look at the synergy here. Bridges to Brunson. It was a shovel pass. like that’s nice and a wide open corner three. But watch his feet you guys. He’s not afraid of physicality. Secondly, especially in clutch time, he will have you shook shookth. With one move, he has Drew Holiday who is a tremendous defender and Al Horford who did a decent job switching onto him. He’s created enough space to get that lefty shot off. But uh but we all know like and when it comes to clutch time, he’s going to try to score. But I do like that he has a commitment to make the right play here. He’ll put you on an island. We trust our defender right here. But nonetheless, when you think about when he attacks, he’s going downhill. A slip screen, a ghost screen. Now he’s attracted how many people in the paint? One, two, three, four. Touch. He only had five assists, but it was right on time to OG and Obi. So yes, the Celtics need to attack the paint, but they also have to keep that man right there off the perimeter in the clutch because he has 35 points scored in clutch time. Almost double the next player in the category. He’s the clutch player of the year for a reason. But you can’t watch him attack like that, make shots like that, and Andre not be like a little inspired to take a shot on our hoop. Oh. Oh. Oh. Is up to get my Dalen Brunson on almost turn it over off the bounce. We’re not trying to do that. Step back. Step back. You know, I did a shoulder workout yesterday. I’m a little slow. What are these? No. Come on. The heels. Hey, automatic. Nothing but net and she held the follow through. It’s Man, you cannot risk an early bedtime this postseason. I know this game tipped at like four o’clock, but your girl needs a nap. No lead is safe entering these playoffs. Teams were 1 and 1,609 in the postseason when trailing by seven in the final minute of the fourth quarter in overtime in the play-by-play era. But enter Tyresese Hallebertton who just over a week ago was voted the most overrated player in the NBA by his fellow NBA players. Well, he took exception to that because that night, Hallebertton, he scored the final five points in overtime, capped by that game-winning drive he had against Giannis Attento, completing the seven-point comeback with under a minute remaining to eliminate the Bucks in five. So, that makes it two in 1,640 entering last night’s games. And yet, Cavaliers fans, they couldn’t help themselves. [Applause] Donovan Mitchell was telling the crowd to cut it out and for good reason. You think they could do it again? Yes, sir. Watch Aaron Nesmith here. He’s able to snatch the rebound for the put back there, Chené. Yeah. Wild. This is what what what you know my favorite book. A series of unfortunate events for Cleveland. It absolutely was. Now out of bounds underneath for Cleveland here. Mitchell gets it. swings it over and it’s an offensive foul on Mitchell there. Just another look. He gets him with the elbow right there. All right. So then 32 seconds left. It’s a five-point game. Pascal Seakum, watch him here. Gets inside. Nice little shifty move there for the layup. Indiana. Here they come within three here. So the Cavaliers, they advance it to the front court after a timeout on the out of bounds play. Max Struce throws it right to Nemhard for the steal. To who? What? I I don’t. Dry to Nimhard was accurately said because where else was he throwing that basketball? And then Hallebertton gets fouled inside, heads to the free throw line for two. After making the first, he misses the second, but he dribbles it back out and gets to his dribble sequence. Two words, deja vu. I’m trying not to sing Beyonce right now. More heroics from Hallebertton in these playoffs. The only slight controversy here is that it looked like Hallebertton, he might have stepped right in the lane just before the ball hits the rim here. You see it? Here’s what Kenny Atinson had to say about that. I asked Tony, I said, “Can you look at it?” I don’t seem our video guys seem to think he was in early. I didn’t I didn’t look at the film. Um, but you know, obviously if they missed that, that’s a big one. That being said, Hallebertton the differencemaker, giving the Pacers a 20 series lead. Here’s his response to those overrated chance. I think now that that label’s there, they’re all as I was going to be every time we play somebody. Every time on the road, he’ll probably follow me until the next poll comes out and then we’ll see if I’m number one again. But, um, you know, for me, I just control what I can, man. Um, and, uh, yeah, I mean, overrate that. Oh, Hallebertton has been clutch his last three games, leading the league in clutch scoring in this time, ranking tied for first in assists. But this comeback, it it did feel a little different. Chenet, how were Tyrese and the Pacers able to pull this off? Do you know the definition of luck? Luck is where preparation meets opportunity. The Pacers, they created their own luck. These are the keys to one of the most improbable comebacks you have ever seen. So here in the fourth quarter, this is what they did. 11 second chance points, 26 boom paint points. So they’re get they were getting good looks. And of course, last but not least, the Cavs, they helped him out. Zero field goals in almost the entire final minute of the game. And I know Coach Atinson was a little upset about that, but all of that, you can’t be mad about him crossing the line right here because they had opportunities to close it. But watch this play. Tyresese Hallebert, when he gets the ball, he was second in the league in distance created off of stepbacks. When he gets into this step back, he’s about a foot away from Ty Jerome. When he gets back to the step back, that’s about six feet of distance. Five feet total created from his step back for the game winner. He is too tough. Overrate that. When the game ended, I almost didn’t believe it. I was like, did he just do that all over again? You’re going to see so many people. I mean, obviously, he said to, “Hey, the fine. I’m going to be it’s going to be worth it.” But Donovan Mitchell mouthed a gape a gape as the ball was going up. He knew what was coming and it was tough. even more tough because he dropped 48 on the night. He tried to put his team on the back, but then what the hie it looks like here right here, he should just turn to the crowd and be like, I told y’all to be quiet. I told y’all to stop chanting overrated at this man. Yeah. And maybe he’s making that face because he knows now the battle that they have to fight. Excluding the bubble, this is the 32nd time a team that has trailed 2 in a best of seven series has both of those losses at home. only five of the previous 31 they came back to win the series. So, here’s Donovan Mitchell following the loss. We can sit here and dwell on this and be home in about four or five days or we can move on and take some things that we did really well and and go from there. Um, I have no doubt everybody in that locker room is ready for Friday. We got to go get to an indie. Simple as that. to get to an Indie. It feels like what they need is to get healthy because Mitchell has scored 45 or more points in a loss for the third time in his playoff career. That’s tied for the second most of those games in NBA history. He trails only Michael Jordan.

Brian Windhorst joins NBA Today to discuss his expectations for the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup with the New York Knicks after they missed 45 3-point shots in Game 1. Then, Andraya Carter & Chiney Ogwumike conduct a film breakdown on the 2 franchises.

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