The Celtics squandered 20-point leads in each of their first two playoff games, both of which came at home against the Knicks. Boston star Jayson Tatum took full accountability for the two losses, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“I take full ownership of the way that I’ve played in this series and can’t sugarcoat anything,” Tatum said. “I need to be better, and I expect to be a lot better.”
Tatum has missed 30 shots across the first two games of the series, shooting 28.6% from the floor in those outings. The Celtics as a whole have missed 75 three-pointers in their two games.
“Guys work really hard on their game and their craft and prepare to be in those moments to hit open shots, and it just hasn’t happened the last two games,” Tatum said. “But you can’t lose your confidence.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The new home of the Sixers is the Xfinity Mobile Arena, effective in the beginning of September and running through 2030-31, according to the AP. Wells Fargo announced last year it would not renew its deal, and so its name rights have changed. The official location of the Sixers has not changed.
- Out of 18 lottery appearances, the Sixers‘ fortunes have improved eight times. In that time, no other franchise has the same level of luck in terms of spots improved, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Ahead of Monday’s lottery, the Sixers are hoping for the same level of luck.
- The Knicks‘ experience is helping them build on a 2-0 lead over the Celtics in the playoffs, Steve Popper of Newsday writes. “I don’t think we even know what we’re capable of,” Josh Hart said after Game 2. “We have to continue to build. We have to continue to put together a full game. I think that’s something that we haven’t done during the course of these playoffs. We get leads. We surrender leads. We come back from big leads. We’ve got to figure out a complete game and that can answer some of those questions.“