Magic Johnson took a public shot at his most bitter rival.
And the biggest name of the ‘Showtime’ Lakers era knows exactly why the Boston Celtics are in a surprising 1-0 playoff hole.
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“You live by the three, die by the three,” Johnson posted to X, after the New York Knicks held off the reigning NBA champions 108-105 in overtime on Monday.
New York grabbed an early advantage in the Eastern Conference semifinals, led by 29 points from Jalen Brunson and 13 rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns.
But the real story was the Celtics firing 60 3-pointers and missing 45.
“They set an NBA Playoff record,” Johnson said.
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While the former Lakers great pointed out the obvious, fans slammed Boston for throwing away a winnable playoff game on its home court.
“They forced so many 3s down the stretch,” one fan tweeted. “Can’t stand that brand of basketball.”
“Now they have to play real basketball,” a second fan posted. “Tell em unc!!!!!”
“Horrible coaching job,” a third fan wrote.
Boston shot just 35.1 percent (34-of-97) from the floor, but the Celtics’ 3-point shooting was even worse.
Jayson Tatum‘s squad only made 25 percent (15-of-60) of its attempts beyond the arc, while New York shot a sparkling 45.9 percent (17-of-37) on 3s.
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“In those spots where they have momentum, we can’t just fire up 3s,” Boston’s Jaylen Brown said.
“I felt like we just settled in the second half a lot.”
The Celtics were up 61-45 at halftime and led by 21 points in Game 1.
But the Knicks refused to go away and eventually turned all of Boston’s long-range misses into a big road win.
“We told each other just keep believing,” Bruson said.
“Just keep fighting and sticking together, and keep chipping away.”
Despite starting the second round with a 1-0 deficit, Boston is unlikely to change its long-range ways.
The Celtics led the NBA during the regular season in attempted 3s per game (48.2) and were tied for ninth in 3-point percentage (36.8).
Simple math proves that a made 3 is worth more than a 2, and Boston has a 2023-24 world championship trophy that was based upon relentless long-range shooting.
The Celtics also have one more NBA Finals ring (18) than Johnson’s Lakers (17), and Magic’s old team couldn’t even get out of the first round this year.
LeBron James and Luka Doncic were bounced 4-1 by Anthony Edwards’ Minnesota Timberwolves.
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The Celtics and Lakers met in the Finals three times in the 1980s, with Johnson’s squad going 2-1 against Larry Bird‘s Boston team during the peak of one of the NBA’s best rivalries.
Game 2 of Celtics-Knicks is set for Wednesday at TD Garden.
