Loss to the Knicks equates to a feeling of death for Celtics' Jaylen Brown.
Refreshed Take:
Jaylen Brown, star player for the Boston Celtics, shared a heartfelt message to the team's fanbase following a tough 119-81 loss against the New York Knicks in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup. "It's a bizarre feeling finishing in May," Brown admitted, having led the Celtics with 20 points before fouling out with seven turnovers in the third quarter. "Things didn't go our way this season, and it's damn unfortunate," Brown continued, referring to their exit from the playoffs. "But we keep our chins up, regardless. Losing to the Knicks feels like the end of the world... but they say there's life after death, so we'll prepare for whatever's coming next."
The Celtics' Rollercoaster Ride
The Celtics became the first NBA team in history to surrender a 20-point lead and lose consecutive playoff games to open their series, but they weren't without a fight. After a much-needed victory in Game 5 that sent them back to New York, the Celtics were no match for the unstoppable Knicks following star scorer Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury in Game 4.
Former All-Star center Kristaps Porzingis, acquired by the Celtics to help fill the void left by Tatum's injury, never showed up fully. Porzingis, who had been a key player against the Knicks during the regular season, averaged just 4.2 points in the series with a dismal 6-of-25 shooting record. "Frustrating, beyond belief. It's heart-wrenching not to be able to support this team more, after JT went down," Porzingis confessed.
The Anticlimactic End to an Exciting Season
Much like the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, the reigning champions experienced a disappointing season, considering the team's impressive regular-season performance. The Celtics shattered the single-season record for most 3-pointers attempted and made, shooting 3,955 treys and draining 1,457 of them.
However, the Celtics' stellar 3-point shooting became their downfall in Game 1, setting an NBA playoff record with a staggering 45 missed 3-pointers in their soul-crushing loss. Despite leading by as much as 20 points before the Knicks fought their way back, the Celtics shot a pathetic 4-of-26 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarters of Games 1 and 2, and went 3-of-20 in crucial clutch moments.
"This season is never coming back, and it'll be hard to recover from the highs and lows," lamented Celtics guard Derrick White, who scored eight points in Game 6. The loss marked the Celtics' first second-round series defeat since 2019 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
- Jaylen Brown's sentiments about the disappointing end of the season echoed, as the Boston Celtics suffered another tough defeat, marking their NBA finals berth yet elusive.
- The Celtics' basketball Game 6 against the New York Knicks oscillated between hope and despair, with a 20-point lead squandered, and the team falling short, leaving them looking ahead to the NBA off-season with mixed feelings.
- Despite the unsuccessful season and Porzingis' lackluster performance, the record-breaking 3-point shooting prowess of the Celtics remained a silver lining, serving as a reminder of the team's potential in the upcoming sports seasons.
