Hail the Celtic Comeback: How Boston Bounced Back Against the Knicks in the NBA Playoffs
Boston's famous basketball team, the Celtics, have officially resumed their games.
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The Boston Celtics, the current NBA titans, found themselves in a tight spot against the New York Knicks in the playoff round. With two losses on their home court, their series stood at 0:2. However, standing strong, the team staged an impressive comeback in Game 3, securing a 115:93 victory and narrowing the best-of-seven series to 1:2. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors, reeling without the presence of Steph Curry, faced their challenges.
The Celtics decisively turned the tables in Game 3. After almost blowing a 20-point lead in the first two games against the Knicks, Jayson Tatum and his teammates held firm this time. Celtics led by over 20 points early in the second quarter, and the Knicks failed to rally back.
"We knew the importance of this game," Tatum remarked. "I didn't like how we felt after the last game, so we came with the right mindset to rectify our mistakes. Our core group has plenty of playoff experience, so we stuck together and found a solution."
Payton Pritchard led the way for the defending champions with 23 points, closely followed by Tatum with 22. New entry Ariel Hukporti, the German rookie off the Knicks' bench, contributed two points in two minutes in the game.
The Struggles of the Warriors without Curry
The upcoming Game 4 match is scheduled for Tuesday night at the New York Madison Square Garden. Here, the Celtics seek to tie the series. However, statistics aren't on their side: Only five teams have managed to win an NBA playoff series after losing the first two home games in history.
The Timberwolves capitalized on the absence of injured Steph Curry by taking a 2:1 lead in their series against the Warriors with a 102:97 win in California. Anthony Edwards led the scoring for the Timberwolves with 36 points, while Jimmy Butler posted 33 points and Jonathan Kuminga added 30, keeping the Warriors in the game for extended periods.
Historical Insights:
Historically, reversing a 0-2 deficit in an NBA playoff series is no easy feat. Overtunning this hurdle after losing the first two home games indicates a substantial disadvantage in terms of momentum and home-court advantage.
Recent Successes:
- In recent years, several teams have successfully reversed 0-2 deficits. For instance, in 2017, the Boston Celtics themselves overcame a 0-2 deficit against the Chicago Bulls after losing the first two games at home. Similarly, the 2021 Los Angeles Clippers managed to reverse an 0-2 deficit against the Dallas Mavericks[2].
- Since 2017, at least one team in each of the last four playoffs seasons has succeeded in winning a series after being down 0-2. This trend exhibits that, though challenging, overcoming such a deficit is not an unheard of occurrence[2].
Current Scenario:
- The ongoing 2025 NBA playoffs have witnessed significant upsets and unpredictability with home teams facing challenges. The Boston Celtics are up against a mountain after losing the first two games of their series against the New York Knicks at home[1][2].
- The Celtics' chances of mounting a comeback hinge on their resilience, performance, and ability to win away games. The Knicks' staging of a remarkable comeback in the series contributes to the unpredictability narrative in the 2025 playoffs[4].
The Celtics' comeback in Game 3 against the Knicks, led by Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard, exudes the resilience required to challenge the historical odds of a team reversing a 0-2 deficit in the NBA playoffs. Despite the challenging dynamics of the 2025 NBA playoffs and losing the first two games at home, the Celtics must now rely on their playoff experience, core group, and ability to cook up away-game victories to turn the series around in the next game.
