Knicks Must End Harmful Trend vs. Celtics

The New York Knicks could be in trouble if they allow trends to continue against the Boston Celtics.

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns grabs a rebound in the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks have found a pattern in each matchup during their series against the defending champion Boston Celtics so far.

In each game, the Knicks have trailed by 20 points or more at some point. While the Knicks were able to come back from the first two contests, they weren't as lucky in Game 3, falling 115-93 at Madison Square Garden.

The Athletic insider James Edwards III looks into what the Knicks need to do to avoid falling into these big holes early in games.

"Ultimately, the Knicks need to find a way to stop trailing by 20. It’s hard for any team to fight and claw back out of a hole regularly, and it feels like New York has used up enough comeback efforts this postseason to last a lifetime," Edwards wrote.

"New York’s defense wasn’t nearly as sharp as it had been. It lost Celtics shooters all night and struggled between drop and switching. On the other end, the offense continues to stall out and go long spells without any form of rhythm. New York’s spotty 3-point shooting bit them tremendously in Game 3, and so did the poor free-throw shooting."

"The Knicks must find a way to generate better offense with more regularity to compete with Boston. The Celtics are too solid on both sides of the ball not to be able to score with them or slow them down when shots are falling, hence the dominant performance on Saturday night when Boston found its shooting touch."

The Knicks are still in control of the series, but a loss in Game 4 at home would push the momentum back in the Celtics' favor, which doesn't bode well for New York if it wants to win the series.

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