Former Celtic Kendrick Perkins labels Game 2 as must-win affair for Celtics after shock defeat in series opener
The Boston Celtics led by as many as 20 at one point in the third quarter of Game 1. Then, the New York Knicks stormed back to force overtime and take care of business at TD Garden.
The Celtics were 9.5-point favorites ahead of tip-off, and it looked like they were poised to dominate the Knicks. They led 61-45 at halftime. Unfortunately for them, things fell off in the second half, up to the point where they set a new NBA playoff mark for both 3-pointers attempted (60) and missed (45).
With that in mind, former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins didn't want to hear anything about how the Celtics should be favored to win this series. Talking on ESPN's "First Take" on Tuesday, Perkins argued that the Celtics needed to approach Game 2 as a must-win contest, as the Knicks are just too talented and well-led to overlook.
"You're damn right is a must-win," Perkins said. "You can't afford to fall to 0-2 to the Knicks, lose two straight at the crib, and expect to go to Madison Square Garden and think things are going to be sweet. I'm not going to sit here and disrespect the New York Knicks and act like they don't have the personnel."
"If they go down 0-2, this series is over with, I don't care what anybody says."
Perkins tipped his hat to Jalen Brunson, who's averaging 32 points per game in the playoffs and can will the team into a win.
He doesn't think the Knicks will be rattled, urging the Celtics to clean things up and even up the series before they head to the Big Apple.
The Boston Celtics dominated the Knicks this season
On a positive note, the Boston Celtics should have enough resources to bounce back from this loss. Even if Kristaps Porzingis hasn't been a factor in the playoffs so far, he can still be a determining player by holding down Karl-Anthony Towns.
Joe Mazzulla's team beat the New York Knicks in all four regular-season matchups. They also won four out of five against them in the previous year.
Granted, the playoffs are entirely different, and teams either rise or crumble when there's a lot at stake, but even though they lost home-court advantage, the Celtics still led by double digits for most of the game.
