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Brian Windhorst
BOSTON — Tuesday, when the Boston Celtics met to prepare for an unexpected elimination game, they got the news they’d all feared: Star Jayson Tatum had indeed torn his Achilles tendon the previous night at Madison Square Garden.
“The air kind of left the room after hearing the news,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown said. “We didn’t want to go out like that. We didn’t want to make no excuses. We didn’t want to come out and give up or just turn the season in what everybody else probably would expect.”
In addition to coach Joe Mazzulla, Brown and veteran Al Horford spoke to the team in an attempt to address and refocus for Wednesday’s Game 5 against the New York Knicks. The message was a blend — part empathy and part strategy.
The Celtics players hurt for their teammate — and Tatum later sent everyone on the team a text message letting them know he was OK — but knew there was no time to wallow. The strategy part, knowing they’d lost an offensive engine, was to lean hard into defense to make up for the loss.
The result was the Celtics’ best defensive game of the series, as they smothered the Knicks in a 127-102 Game 5 victory to cut the series lead to 3-2 and force a Game 6 on Friday back in New York.
“We just said to the guys, said to each other, ‘Let’s come out, keep an open mind,'” Brown said. “Just come out, play basketball … and guard your ass off.”
The Celtics held the Knicks to just 36% shooting and 26 points in the paint, the fewest New York had scored in the key this season and the fewest Boston had allowed.
A big part of that was another strategy decision Mazzulla was forced into. He had started Kristaps Porzingis at center after coming off the bench the previous three games. Porzingis has been battling an upper respiratory illness on and off for three months. It has been significantly affecting him in the series and did so again Wednesday.
But after an ineffective first half, when Porzingis missed all three shots he took, got just one rebound and was clearly struggling defensively, Mazzulla elected to put him on the bench in the second half and go with backup Luke Kornet.
“I mean (Porzingis) couldn’t breathe,” Mazzulla said. “He was available if absolutely necessary. And so that (going to the bench) was just a decision between me and him.”
The score was tied at halftime, but Kornet’s presence changed the flow of the game. The 7-footer was everywhere defensively and played the entire third quarter, which ended up being pivotal. He ended up with five blocked shots and five rebounds in the quarter. He altered several other attempts as the Knicks went 0-of-5 shooting in the paint in the quarter and the Celtics opened up a 15-point lead.
The Knicks have dominated the Celtics in the series on the interior at times, largely because of the forceful play of energetic big man Mitchell Robinson. But Kornet and his activity and ability to challenge shots more effectively than Porzingis mitigated Robinson’s minutes.
“Obviously our season was on the line, so I was trying to have a lot of energy and make plays,” Kornet said. “I’m very grateful just to be able to have the opportunity to play and obviously to make a big impact. I feel like it’s just really special to be a part of when you’re doing it, you just kind of get lost in it.”
Kornet finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks. Boston outscored the Knicks by 20 points in his 26 minutes on the floor. The Celtics had 12 blocks as a team as their defensive intensity no doubt had improved.
Brown and Derrick White, who had three blocks of his own, were active in trying to stay in front of Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who scored 22 points but was just 7-of-17 shooting and fouled out midway through the fourth quarter. Brown played a role in getting Brunson into foul trouble, attacking him on offense when he was his defender.
Overall, Brown took on more ball-handling duties with Tatum no longer available. With the Celtics hot on 3-pointers — they made 22-of-49, tying a franchise playoff record — Brown ended up with a career-high 12 assists to go with 26 points and eight rebounds. White had a brilliant shooting night, making 7-of-13 3-pointers in scoring 34 points.
In general, without Tatum and his steady diet of isolation plays that are a core part of his game, the Celtics had more ball and player movement out of necessity. And, for this game at least, it left the Knicks stuck in rotations.
Boston, much to the chagrin of the Knicks, got to the foul line 40 times, 18 of those in the third quarter as the Knicks got frustrated with some of the officiating.
“The goal is to just lead and to just be myself,” Brown said. “I’ve always preached team. I’ve done whatever to kind of push this team forward. So whatever is needed in me, I’m excited to be able to facilitate or whatever role.”
