– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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NEW YORK — Jayson Tatum’s latest missed shot during the series in which the Boston Celtics have found themselves in a surprising two-game deficit occurred even before Game 3 started, as Boston’s superstar walked into the arena trying his best to mimic what others believe hip-hop-influenced New Yorkers circa the mid-1990s would rock; from a short-sleeved white shirt with the rapper Nas imprinted on the front to brown overalls — with the left suspender unfastened — to Timberland boots. Strutting his stuff pregame while in one of the fashion capitals of the world, Tatum’s attempt to look like Missy Elliott or a member of De La Soul missed its target — like 30 of the 42 shots he’s attempted up until Saturday that brought Celtics Nation into a collective state of shock and apoplexy.
But then he took off his pregame attire and went about his day job, and fortunately for the Celtics, there were no missteps once he and the Celtics stepped on the floor of Madison Square Garden.
Tatum had 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Celtics finally found their shooting stroke from beyond the arc and made building a big early lead count in a 115-93 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Payton Pritchard scored 23 points off the bench and both he and Tatum combined to make 10 of the Celtics’ 20 three-pointers as Boston finally found its shooting touch that saw it become the most prolific three-point shooting team in league history during the regular season.
Boston now trails 2-1 in the series, with Game 4 of the series in New York on Monday night.
The pressure of the Celtics being down multiple games in a series for the first time since the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals almost did not feel as onerous as the condemnations raining down on the defending champions from those in the basketball world about the team’s insistence on shooting the three-pointer despite their gelid 25-for-100 shooting from beyond the three-point arc in their first two games combined, while also becoming the first team in the play-by-play era to blow multiple 20-point leads in the same playoff season — and they did it in consecutive games.
But any notion that the Celtics were going to change their stripes from beyond the arc were mistaken … and the Knicks paid the ultimate price, especially after Al Horford made Boston’s first three-point attempt just 87 seconds into the game. Including that make, the Celtics made their first four three-pointers, hit 6-of-7 from beyond the arc in the first quarter and ended the frame up 36-20.
The lead ballooned to 20 for the first time when Pritchard knocked home a three for a 47-25 lead with 7:58 in the second quarter, and the advantage was 25, 71-46, at the break. Instead of another comeback from the Knicks, another Horford three at the two-minute mark of the third gave Boston a 63-42 lead, and the advantage would not fall below 20 for the rest of the contest.
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