Knicks outstanding fourth quarter defense…
BOSTON — One by one, Celtics pictures clanged around the rim.
With each miss, the Knicks clawed a little bit nearer.
The Celtics missed a staggering 14 straight area objective makes an attempt in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ 91-90 Game 2 win Wednesday night time at TD Garden.
Boston only scored 17 factors in the quarter.
They appeared far from defending champions amid an epic meltdown.
“I thought in the fourth quarter, our defense was outstanding,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau mentioned. “That’s what we need to do for the entire game. … People always talk about offensive runs. I think you go on defensive runs as well.”
Josh Hart blocks Al Horford’s shot in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ 91-90 Game 2 comeback win over the Celtics on May 7, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges — dubbed “Wingstop” due to them being the Knicks defensive stoppers against opposing wings — had been behind a lot of that defensive enchancment late.
Jaylen Brown, after scoring 20 factors through three quarters, went scoreless in the fourth quarter and missed all 4 pictures he took.
Jayson Tatum completed with just 13 factors on brutal 5-for-19 capturing from the sphere.
And Anunoby and Bridges mixed to seal the sport — Anunoby helped on Tatum after he had gotten by Mitchell Robinson before Bridges stole his go in the closing seconds.
Jalen Brunson (proper) and Josh Hart double group Jaylen Brown during the Knicks’ Game 2 comeback win over the Celtics. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“They made every play,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla mentioned of the Knicks. “Throughout the end of that fourth quarter, I thought we generated some good looks. Then, I thought we had some live-ball turnovers and they took advantage of it. They made the necessary plays to win.”
It’s uncommon to see a championship-caliber group just like the Celtics unravel in such dramatic fashion.
For it to occur in two straight video games is tough to imagine.
Can the Knicks really feel when the Celtics start to crumble?
“To be realistic, that doesn’t come to mind,” Josh Hart mentioned. “Our biggest thing is, especially when you’re going on a run, is ‘all right, let’s get a stop.’ We get a stop, ‘let’s get another stop.’ We got guys that can score the ball. We’re down that much, we’re thinking about ‘let’s get this down to a one-possession game towards the end of the game.’ I feel like our defensive intensity picked up in the fourth quarter. Now we have to learn from it and Saturday, put together a full game.”
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