NEW YORK — Joe Mazzulla, a student of history, studied the championship repeat runs that came before 2025 Celtics attempt that looked almost inevitable. Yet every title team’s moment since the 2018 Warriors went back-to-back faded through injuries, departures or greater competition. Only that Golden State team advanced beyond the second round — the Lakers, Bucks, Warriors, Nuggets and now the Boston Celtics failed to as the NBA ushered in an era of parity.
They had so much shooting, such a versatile defense and developed extraordinary depth until they lost it all. The Celtics missed 15-of-19 three point attempts in the first half, struggled to break freely the painted area as they had for most of the series and turned the ball over 11 times. They never played beyond a Game 5 in a series during a championship run that looks all the more important less than one year later. The Knicks eliminated Boston by halftime on Friday, up 27, and began a summer of massive uncertainty for the Celtics sooner than almost anyone imagined.
And if anyone did — nobody thought it would look like this.
Josh Hart grabbed his own rebound after an and-one miss at the free throw line and tossed the ball out to OG Anunoby for a three where all five Celtics stood in the paint. In a brief response, Derrick White ripped the ball back by finally running out to the perimeter after another ball bounced back to New York. The Knicks hauled in 10-of-18 misses, and while White created a rare opportunity on the run, Miles McBride chased him down, sent him barreling to the floor with a block and sparked another Hart and-one the other way. New York led by 20 in the second quarter, and by 41 late in the third quarter.
Jaylen Brown fouled out after seven turnovers, succumbing to the pressure Jayson Tatum’s absence placed on him. Kristaps Porziņģis struggled physically in a demotion to the bench, the return of his mysterious illness sending the series sideways from the start when he disappeared from the bench midway through Game 1 and didn’t return. Despite hopes to become a larger part of the Celtics’ championship repeat push, he became a small percentage of his regular season self and couldn’t breath in Game 5. Luke Kornet and Payton Pritchard’s magic from that night disappeared 200 miles south.
And now the Celtics return to Boston with their championship contention outlook in complete flux. Tatum stands to miss most of 2024-25. Luxury tax and second apron roster limitations, more pronounced following an early postseason exit, will likely send at least one player signed for next year out the door. Al Horford and Kornet become free agents. The Celtics, thanks to their at times invincible regular season, will select No. 28 overall in next year’s draft.
But the signs were there during the regular season.
Boston could never quite rely on a devastating three-point shot the way it could in 2024. A downturn in shooting in December and January led to multiple baffling losses. They regained their footing into February and finished second in the east, but competition emerged between the Cavaliers and Thunder. The Knicks, despite losing all four regular season games to Boston, finished 30 games over .500 against everyone else and proved themselves when it mattered. Despite the pain of the Tatum loss — New York secured a 3-1 lead before he tragically fell in front of the Knicks logo.
Three members of this team played beyond the playoffs last summer, traveling the world with Team USA. Jrue Holiday admitted the exhaustion, physical and mental, returning from such a run. He looked fatigued and battled multiple injuries through the run. Brown’s difficult year physically built into his first knee injury, one he played through in the late stages of the regular season anticipating it wouldn’t fade into the playoffs. He never looked like himself even through some inspiring performances over the last month, rarely dunking.
Then, Porziņģis’ illness symptoms returned into round two, Mazzulla and Porziņģis revealing that he battled them on-and-off after missing eight games into March. After setting the stage for a runaway NBA Finals with his Game 1 heroics last June, and the cut he received in round one that vaulted him to the peak of his popularity, it’s possible his final moments in green could be the struggle he faced to get onto the court.
Sam Hauser battled back injuries early in the season, then sprained his ankle late to begin the second round. Neemias Queta’s early promising run ended when he lost his rotation spot due to defensive inconsistency. Baylor Scheierman’s late season emergence didn’t translate into postseason minutes. Xavier Tillman Sr., a playoff contributor last spring, never played after November.
It all amounted to the Celtics playing thin, tired and becoming something they rarely resembled since 2023. Human.
