Red Sox Manager Alex Cora Reacts to Celtics 0-2 Series Deficit

The Boston Celtics are in a tough spot as they head into Game 3 of their playoff series against the New York Knicks. Boston dropped the first two games of the series, despite holding massive leads in each contest.

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The first two games of the series have been very unlike the Celtics, but they now face the reality of heading on the road down 0-2 in the matchup. Boston is looking to repeat as NBA champions, but they are facing a tough road going forward.

Many people have been surprised by the results of the first two games, wondering what has happened. One person who understands how difficult it is to repeat as champions is Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

Cora helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2018, but Boston failed to repeat the following year. The Red Sox manager reacted to the Celtics going down 0-2 in the series.

“(Repeating’s) not easy. But, you know, in the NBA, it can happen.
I don't want to be an analyst, but I sound like one… they've been up 20 twice. So have they played well? Yeah. They haven't finished games. … it's a league of adjustments, and I expect them to do that.”, he said.

Alex Cora on the Celtics:

“(Repeating’s) not easy. But, you know, in the NBA, it can happen.
I don't want to be an analyst, but I sound like one… they've been up 20 twice. So have they played well? Yeah. They haven't finished games. … it's a league of adjustments, and I expect…
— Gabrielle Starr (@gfstarr1) May 8, 2025

If the Celtics want to get back in this series, they are going to need to drastically clean things up. Boston has normally been very good about allowing leads to disappear, but the Knicks have been able to take advantage of the Celtics' mistakes.

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Game 3 will be a crucial test for the Celtics to see if they can withstand the energy from the Knicks' crowd. If Boston can get one game, they could then use that to springboard themselves forward in the series.

Boston understands what is at stake in Game 3, and they will do what they can to avoid going down 0-3 in the series. But if they drop Game 3, a special year could all be for nothing.

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For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, head on over to Boston Celtics on SI.