Final: Celtics 115, Knicks 93 - Pritchard drops 23 as C's grab Game 3

(1) BOSTON CELTICS at (3) NEW YORK KNICKS

Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 3 (Knicks lead 2-0)

Madison Square Garden, 3:30 p.m. - ABC

Line: Celtics -5.5

INJURIES

BOSTON

DOUBTFUL: Sam Hauser (ankle)

NEW YORK

NONE

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

- Start the same way: Lost in all the pearl-clutching after Game 2 is that Boston has started well, they just missed very makeable shots. Here's their first-quarter shot chart:

Very simply put, make one more shot in each of those red zones and that's seven more points for the Celtics. They could have been up 20 close to the end of the first which would have put pressure on the Knicks. I don't think the Knicks can handle that pressure, especially if the result is 3-pointers. 

- Ball movement: The Celtics are averaging 25 fewer passes per game in this series than they did in the regular season. I didn't think the Magic would pass along the ability to stop Boston's assists but the Knicks have done a pretty good job. I want to see more of Derrick White as the ball-handler in pick-and-roll situations late in games. 

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are getting worn out by the physicality. Take the pressure off them by putting the ball in an actual point guard's hands and let them make a few plays. 

- Rebound: The Celtics aren't getting killed by offensive rebounds it the classic sense, but their opponent offensive rebound percentage is up. This is where the statistics lie a little bit because the Celtics are more giving up timely offensive rebounds than too many. They need to finish off late stops. 

- Make 4th quarter shots: This is the most obvious one, but it's also the most important. 

There has been a lot of hand-wringing about the Celtics after these two games, but if they just hit a normal amount of shots in fourth quarters, we wouldn't be having any of these discussions. 

The Celtics have scored 16 and 17 points in the last two fourth quarters after averaging nearly 27 points per fourth quarter all regular season. Their offense has lacked some creativity down the stretch, but it has also lacked plain ol' shot-making. They need guys to make, at the very least, a normal amount of shots.

- Tatum as the screener: This addresses the lack of creativity while also using Tatum's gravity to open things up for teammates. 

Two guys go to Tatum because of his ability to make shots. Use that to your advantage.

- Anything from Kristaps Porzingis: He's not on the injury report. That's probably some gamesmanship from the Celtics, but also if he's truly no longer impacted by the illness then that's a game-changer. 

As I've said, the Porzingis element is under-discussed after the first two games. The Celtics offense looks like it did in 2023 mostly because Porzingis isn't there to stabilize things. I know he missed a lot of the playoff run last season but he was a much bigger factor in last season's success. 

Porzingis not being available for most of the last two fourth quarters has been a big reason why the Celtics have struggled to close out games. If he's truly back, he can reshape the series.

Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.