2-3 behind! The Celtics refused to reverse 28 points, White scored 7 three-pointers, the referee stole the show, Hart stained the field with blood

Editor|Lao Kankanqiu

On May 15, the second round of the NBA 2024-25 playoffs ushered in the focus of the Eastern Conference. The Boston Celtics returned to their home court to face the New York Knicks, officially kicking off the series G5. In the first four games, the Celtics suffered a big score reversal due to underestimating the enemy. They are currently behind the Knicks 1-3 and stand on the verge of elimination with half a foot. What is most worrying is that in the G4 game, Tatum accidentally suffered an Achilles tendon rupture, not only for the season reimbursement, but is expected to miss 8-12 months (may miss the entire 2025-26 season). The most important thing is the impact of his serious injury on the internal atmosphere of the team. The outside world is hotly discussed. Perhaps Tatum's injury will be the last straw that overwhelms the defending champion, and it is not impossible to push down and rebuild.

"It is obvious that everyone is worried about his (Tatum)'s health. The locker room after the G4 game is very dull and no one speaks," Celtics coach Mazula said in an interview. "We are worried about his recovery, and we are also thinking about what changes to make in the G5 game. This is a double worry!" Before the game, US media ESPN also gave the winning rate prediction of today's game: the Knicks' winning rate has skyrocketed to 58.6% (compared to G1 only 32.4%), and the Celtics' winning rate plummeted to 41.4%. It is obvious that the prediction of the direction of the US media team and this round of series has completely changed. In terms of starting lineup, all players can play on the Knicks. The starting five-man teams lined up by coach Thibodeau are: Towns, Brunson, Bridges, OG Anunobi, Hart; on the Celtics, Tatum is absent, and Hauser is likely to play on the team, and the starting lineup is: White, Jaylen Brown, Holiday, Porzingis, and Horford.

started the first quarter, and White made two consecutive three-pointers without any mercy, and the Celtics took the lead 8-4 at the start. The Celtics made three consecutive low-level mistakes, Bridges made a second offensive three-pointer, Brunson scored a small in& out, and there were also small throws, and the Knicks took the lead. Then an unexpected accident occurred. When Hart broke through, he was hit by Knette's elbow and his eyes were bleeding. After the referee replayed, he did not upgrade the evil offender, but was just an ordinary foul. Hart continued to stay on the court after being injured, he was such a tough guy. McBride broke the Celtics in the frontcourt, OG received the ball and rushed to the frame and was blown away by Porzingis, Brunson made a wonderful pass, Bridges made an empty cut and made a basket. After the first quarter, the Knicks led the Celtics by 2 points 32-30.

Back in the second quarter, Towns played the basket continuously, first causing Horford to foul, then made a misplaced landing, White made another steal, McBride made a counterattack three-pointer and hit another shot, the Knicks led by 8 points, and stopped the Celtics. Towns had additional movements in his hand after shooting, and was given a foul. He had three fouls in this game and had no choice but to end up. Brown counterattacked and strided, avoided the block and scored a layup, then scored a three-pointer again, and the Celtics tied the score. Brunson's strong breakthrough attracted three players to assist in defense, assisting Hart to hit a three-pointer with a large open position in the bottom corner, then hit Prichard with a back and turned over and made a limit, and there were extra free throws. At the end of the half, the Knicks drew with the Celtics 59-59.

Half-time data, on the Celtics, White scored 19 points efficiently, including 5 of 9 three-pointers; Brown made 7 of 11, 3 of 3 three-pointers and 3 of 3 scored 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists; Porzingis made 0 of 3 (0 of 2 of 3 points), 1 of 2 free throws, only 1 point, 1 rebound and 1 block, with 2 mistakes, plus or negative value -12.

On the Knicks side, Brunson scored 13 points and 5 assists in 6 of 13 shots; Hart played for 19 minutes, made 4 of 7 shots, 2 of 3 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws to score 12 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist; Anunoby made 1 of 9 shots, scoring 5 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

The fight changed sides again, Hart covered his physical contact with Brown, and the two sides pushed each other, almost causing a big conflict. White received the ball from the top of the arc and made a three-pointer. He made 7 of 11 three-pointers in this game, which made a hot touch. Hart broke into the basket and suffered a blood cap, and then caused a pass error. Hauser made another three-pointer from the wing, and the Celtics led by 14 points, stopping the Knicks. White's European rush to the frame caused Brunson's fifth foul, and there was still one and a half quarters left in the game. Brunson and Towns were both troubled by fouls and had no choice but to sit on the bench. The referee was really stole the show. Cornett has been hitting Hart and OG in a row, contributing 5 blocks in a single quarter and scored 8 points. After the third quarter, the Celtics led the Knicks by 15 points 91-76. In the fourth quarter, Prichard changed direction and flew Brunson sharply, and made a three-pointer. Holidayrie scored 5 points in a row for foreign shots, and the Celtics led to 23 points. Brunson made fouls at the basket and went to the free throw line in succession. Then, Brown was called for his sixth foul when defending the defense. The Knicks finally failed to challenge him. Brunson left the court with six fouls. The whistle was really messy today, and the referee was also stolen enough. Cornett flew to make up for defense, dropped Hart's three-pointer with a long arm, and had sent 7 blocks, setting a career high. Prichard and Holiday then made three-pointers in a row, and the gap had widened to 28 points. There was no suspense in the game. In the end, the Celtics defeated the Knicks 127-102 and refused to make another 28-point comeback, chasing the score to 2-3 behind. In terms of data, on the Celtics, White made 7 of 13 three-pointers, scored 34 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks; Jaylen Brown scored 26 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists; Konett contributed 10 points, 9 rebounds and 7 blocks; Porzingis contributed 1 point, 1 rebound and 2 turnovers.

On the Knicks' side, Brunson left the court with six fouls, scored 22 points, 1 rebound and 6 assists on 7 of 17 shots; Anunobi made 12, scored 6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 turnovers; Towns scored 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 fouls; Hart stained the field with blood, contributing 24 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists.