The Celtics suffered a shocking Game 1 loss on their home parquet despite leading by as much as 20 points. They shot 25 percent from 3-point range. Their 45 misses from deep were an NBA playoff record.
Despite all of these negatives from their loss on Monday night, fans have some positives to consider looking ahead to Game 2 on Wednesday.
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How worried should Celtics fans be about Game 1?
Although the Celtics didn't play particularly well overall in Game 1, a duplicate performance is unlikely.
The Celtics are known to be a 3-point reliant team and struggled to find their rhythm shooting out of the slump. A mid-game scratch at halftime from Kristaps Porzingis (due to illness) seemed to lead to less emphasis on getting the ball inside and to the basket.
The Knicks shot just 36.5 percent from 3 during their first-round matchup against the Pistons and a scorching 45.9 percent in Monday's win. The combination of shooting struggles from the Celtics and well-above-average 3-point shooting from the Knicks isn't a discrepancy that should carry into Game 2.
More of an emphasis on getting the ball to the basket and taking advantage of mismatches in the post and isolations is normally the Celtics' bread and butter, yet they went away from it in Game 1. The two "Jays" didn't do this enough and stuck to the perimeter, where they were just a combined 5-for-25.
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Porzingis' status for Game 2 will be something looked at, as it will change the approach of the Celtics' game plan going into Wednesday.
The Celtics might have to turn to a "stay-ready" bench player such as Torrey Craig or Baylor Scheierman in Game 2 after Sam Hauser also exited early with an ankle injury.
The Celtics have to continue to keep the Knicks on their heels by driving to the basket and getting the rotation players in foul trouble. They had some success with it in the first half, but weren't able to capitalize on the opportunity in the second half.
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