Paul Pierce isn’t giving the Knicks credit for knocking Boston out of the playoffs. Speaking in a chat with Heavy’s Steve Bulpett, the Celtics legend argued that his former team collapsed on its own and insisted New York’s talent had nothing to do with the outcome.
“Yeah, I think [Celtics] blew that series,” Pierce said on the 2025 East Semifinals. “Absolutely. They had 20-point leads in the first two games, at home, and they lost them both? Yeah, they blew that series. That had nothing to do with the Knicks’ talent and all that.”
Of course, it’s the same series that saw Jayson Tatum go down with a torn right Achilles tendon in Game 4. Despite losing their best player, however, Pierce says the injury had a limited impact on the results.
“I’m not sure if that injury played a big role in the changes, because I feel like they still would have been in the same situation even if Tatum didn’t get hurt, you know, as far as luxury tax and the second apron and all of those things,” Pierce added. “Whether he’s hurt or not, I think they would have had to still make these decisions.”
In 2024, the Celtics won their first championship in 16 years thanks to the efforts of guys like Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday. It was a dominant run, and experts gave them good odds to repeat as champions in the 2024-25 campaign.
After winning 61 games in the regular season, the Celtics were poised to mark their place in history until they ran into the Knicks. Somehow, fully healthy, the Celtics lost their first two games at home, and they headed into Game 3 facing the threat of a 3-0 deficit. Boston managed to win Game 3 thanks to Tatum and Payton Pritchard, who combined for 45 of the team’s 115 points.
Of course, with Tatum going down in Game 4, it crippled the Celtics in a major way, and they were unable to recover in time. The Knicks went on to win two of the final three games, effectively winning the series and booking their spot in the East Finals.
While many Celtics fans blame Tatum’s injury for the defeat, Pierce believes it was more than that. If they had won at least one of those first two home games, the series might have played out differently, and they might have advanced to face the Pacers in the next round.
In the end, for a Celtics team with such an extensive playoff history, we should have expected better. While they had the experience and talent necessary to win, they couldn’t get the job done when they had the chance, and it speaks to a larger issue about the team’s roster construction.
By all accounts, it seems like the Celtics lack a proper leader in the locker room, someone who can hold them accountable and keep everyone focused during the grind of the NBA postseason. Nothing can erase their 2024 title run, but you could argue that the Celtics have always been flawed, despite their recent success.
For Pierce, the bottom line is simple: Boston had every opportunity to put the Knicks away, and they didn’t. Injuries or not, no team with championship aspirations should squander back-to-back 20-point leads at home. Until the Celtics find the mental toughness and leadership to close out games under pressure, questions about their ceiling will continue to follow them.
