Mazzulla, Brown and Horford all said that Boston didn't play up to its standard defensively. This is true, particularly in the second half. But both sides of the floor are connected, and Mazzulla pointed out that the Knicks were able to play with pace in part because of the Celtics' poor offensive execution.

To make matters worse, the Celtics lost Jayson Tatum to a troubling non-contact injury late in the game. The six-time All-Star was seen writhing in pain on the floor after sustaining an injury to his right leg. Tatum had to be helped to the locker room and was unable to return to what was a close game at that point.

Jalen Brunson scored 26 of his 39 points in the second half and the New York Knicks became the first home team to win in the series by dispatching the Boston Celtics 121-113 on Monday night to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal matchup.