Points were hard to come by in the Celtics’ first-round playoff series against the Magic, who boasted an elite defense but one of the NBA’s worst offenses.
Expect an uptick in scoring in Round 2.
The New York Knicks, Boston’s opponent in the Eastern Conference semifinals, aren’t nearly as stout defensively as Orlando was (13th in defensive rating during the regular season), but their offense is far more potent (fifth-best).
“Obviously, their offensive numbers are better,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said Friday in a video conference. “Their ability to change defenses is good. They have two guys that can score at all three levels. They’ve got role guys that can really impact the game. Their defensive pressure is great, and they have the ability to impact the margins in a big way. So we have to be able to combat that with our physicality, our attention to detail and our execution.”
Those “two guys” are point guard Jalen Brunson and big man Karl-Anthony Towns — premier offensive players who both ranked in the top 12 in the NBA in points per game this season. Brunson averaged 31.5 points per game in the Knicks’ opening-round series against Detroit, including a 40-point clinic in Game 6 on Thursday that he capped with a series-winning 3-pointer.
New York’s decision last offseason to swing blockbuster trades for Towns and Mikal Bridges to pair with Brunson, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby gave the Knicks one of the league’s most talented starting fives.
That group managed just one more win than last season’s team, however, and the gulf between 51-31 New York and the top tier of championship contenders (Boston, Oklahoma City and Cleveland) remained wide. The Knicks went 1-11 against the teams with the league’s four best records, including an 0-4 mark against the defending champion Celtics.
Three of those four games weren’t close, with Boston winning 132-109 at TD Garden on opening night, 131-104 at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 8 and 118-105 in Boston on Feb. 23. Only the finale of the season series — a 119-117 overtime win at MSG on April 8 — was competitive.
New York’s wing defense duo of Bridges and Anunoby struggled to contain Jayson Tatum, who scored 25, 32, 37 and 40 points in the four meetings while shooting 53.5% from the field and 47.8% from 3-point range.
And the Celtics were at full strength for just one of the four games. Jaylen Brown was limited by a knee injury in the final matchup, sitting out the entire fourth quarter and overtime. Kristaps Porzingis missed each of the first two, and Jrue Holiday sat out the second. (Holiday currently is dealing with a hamstring strain that sidelined him for Boston’s last three games. He’s considered “day to day,” per Mazzulla.)
What does that all mean for this postseason series — the first between the Celtics and Knicks since 2013 and their first in the second round or later since 1984?
“This is the playoffs, so everything we did in the regular season doesn’t really mean a whole lot now,” Celtics guard Derrick White said. “It’s not like we get to start up 1-0 or anything like that. So we just understand it’s the playoffs, they’re here for a reason, they’re a really good team, and it’s going to be a big challenge.”
The Knicks don’t play the same bruising style as the Magic — a relief for the Celtics after multiple players suffered injuries on hard Orlando fouls — but Mazzulla still is anticipating a “physical series.” The final five games of Knicks-Pistons all were decided by six points or fewer, and Detroit scored above its season average just once.
“Obviously (they have) a great coach,” Mazzulla said of Knicks counterpart Tom Thibodeau. “Great depth, great team. You’ve seen what they’ve been able to do over the course of the season and in the playoffs thus far with their two guys, but also the way that the others are able to impact the game. It’ll be a physical series. It’ll come down to the margins. You have to be able to defend without fouling, rebound, take care of the ball, execute and be able to get to different stuff defensively because of their ability to put pressure on the rim and get great shots.”
Game 1 is Monday at TD Garden.