The Ringer’s Bill Simmons was fuming after the poor performance of the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. After the 90-91 loss against the New York Knicks, Simmons provided a scathing indictment of the team’s performance in the latest episode of his podcast.
“I can’t come up with reasons for this,” he started. “This team that was built as this offensive machine that wins 75-80% of its games just s******g the bed like this two games in a row.”
Simmons was joined by his father, who provided insight on what the fans were feeling after the game. “So many people walking down the stairs saying, ‘Tatum didn’t show up.’ Yeah, he got rebounds, but he was never in the offense. He never took charge. Or, when he had the ball, all he wanted to do was dribble on the perimeter.”
Simmons’ father addressed the Celtics’ poor defensive effort in the fourth quarter, one of the crucial junctures of the game when the Knicks’ offense went into overdrive.
“I hate to use this word because in the wrong context it’s a little insulting,” added Simmons. “But there has been an arrogance to this Celtics team that comes out at the worst possible times.”
The podcast host pointed out the arrogance in the context of the team’s refusal to pivot and adjust in the face of adversity. This is particularly true in the context of their three-point shooting, as Boston has missed 75 shots from beyond the arc over the last two games.
The Celtics faced two of their most embarrassing losses of the season in quick succession. After blowing a 20-point lead in the first game, Boston came back in Game 2 to effectively do the same thing again. While much of this can be attributed to the Knicks’ grit and tenacity, at some level, there has to be a complacency on the Celtics’ end that needs to be acknowledged.
Boston has seen poor performances by its star duo in both games so far. Jayson Tatum scored 23 points and 16 rebounds in Game 1, but he vanished in Game 2 when his team needed him the most. Although he had 14 rebounds and five assists, he shot 5-19 from the field.
Jaylen Brown has had a rough start to the series as well. Although he scored 20+ points in both games, he has been scoring at an atrocious rate while shooting below 35% in both games.
The carelessness with the ball heading into the final frame of the game was something the Knicks capitalized on. Players such as Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges emerged as heroes in Games 1 and 2 as they secured key rebounds and made clutch defensive plays to secure the win for their team.
Facing a 0-2 deficit before hitting the road does not bode well for the Celtics in the slightest. The last two losses should have given the team a lot to learn from. With hopes to capitalize on this new knowledge, Boston will hope to revitalize their postseason run with a win in Game 3 on Saturday at 3:30 pm ET.
