In Game 1, the Celtics led by 20. The Knicks won by three.
In Game 2, the Celtics led by 20. The Knicks won by one.
In Game 4, the Celtics led by 14. The Knicks won by eight.
But that night was different from the first two. In letting go of 20-point leads to begin the series, the Celtics seemed at fault. They took poor shots, and they missed them. The offense went stagnant. That wasn’t the case on Monday.
Tatum, before his injury, drilled tough shot after tough shot. Boston threw the kitchen sink at Brunson. It didn’t matter. This game was not a Celtics letdown; it was a Knicks comeback.
Brunson took over in the second half, cruising to 26 points over the final two quarters. Anunoby hit timely shots. Towns played tough defense, switching onto Tatum and feasting on the boards, as did Mitchell Robinson. This was the best basketball the Knicks have played all postseason.
And now, they are one win away from their first conference-finals appearance in a quarter of a century.