BOSTON — Did the Celtics’ inspired, shorthanded Game 5 victory over the Knicks Wednesday night at TD Garden merely delay the inevitable, or was it an affirmation that they’re still capable of getting the job done?
In its first game without Jayson Tatum, Boston kept its season alive by defending home court with a convincing 127-102 win.
They may not have had their best player, but the Celtics proved — at least in the short term — that they’re still a very, very good team without him. And while repeating as NBA champions remains far fetched, rallying to steal this second round series from the Knicks is well within reach.
“Our backs are against the wall, it’s win or go home at this moment and none of us want to go home,” said Derrick White, who caught fire for seven made threes and a game-high 34 points as Boston narrowed the series gap to 3-2.
“There’s no replacing JT and what he does for us, but we believe in the guys we got.”
At times during the first half of Wednesday’s game it appeared as if Boston may throw in the towel, stumble into the offseason and ask themselves what went wrong. The Knicks, with a lead, were feeling good, as was the hoard of New York fans in the building.
But White — where would Boston be without him? — and the Celtics refused to wilt, drawing even at 59-all headed into the break.
Then in the third, they made their patented push without taking their feet off the gas. For as much as head coach Joe Mazzulla has been criticized, his lineup decisions were spot on in the win.
And one key move may just have saved Boston’s season.
Kristaps Porzingis drew the start, but it was clear from the jump that he’s still nowhere near 100 percent and is more of a negative on the floor at this juncture than anything else. He played 12 minutes in the opening two quarters, contributing just one point, one rebound and one block before exiting the game for good.
“He couldn’t breathe,” admitted Mazzulla. “He was available if absolutely necessary.”
Whether it was more of a basketball decision or a health decision by Mazzulla, Porzingis needed to be pulled.
Insert Luke Kornet.
Mazzulla opted to go small to open the third, moving Kornet to center and swapping out Al Horford for sharpshooting guard Payton Pritchard. The latter knocked down some key shots, finishing with 17 points, but it was Kornet who truly moved the needle.
The 29-year-old seven footer was everywhere in the second half. Not only did he set hard, effective screens, roll to the basket with a purpose and finish with some thunderous dunks — including a crowd rocking reverse alley-oop — but he protected the paint like an All-Defensive First Teamer.
Kornet swatted seven shots and bothered countless more, the icing on the cake to a balanced stat line that also included 10 points and nine boards.
“He was unbelievable. Came in and just seemed to always be in the right position,” said White. “Seven blocks is crazy. He’s had a great season and he was big time for us tonight.”
Kornet played his role to perfection, and it was emblematic of how the Celtics operated as a whole without Tatum.
Is Boston better without its 27-year-old superstar? Of course not; that’s a silly question.
But one could argue that they play better team basketball without him — perhaps because they’re forced to.
Too often in crunch time we see Tatum opt for isolation ball, dribbling out the shot clock before stepping back or crossing over for a contested jump shot while his teammates sit around and watch. When he’s hitting them, like he was in Game 4 before he went down, it’s hard to complain.
But if he’s off, it becomes an extremely frustrating — and often detrimental — brand of basketball to watch.
Without his services on Wednesday night, Boston’s offense flowed with fluidity throughout. Yes, the C’s took 49 triples (making 22 of them), but outside of a heat-check airball from White nothing seemed forced.
The ball movement was crisp, the cutting on point, and the Celtics benefited from generating easy looks at the rim. Reigning Finals MVP Jaylen Brown came through with 26 points, but it was his facilitating that shined brightest.
Brown finished with a career-high 12 assists, by far his most in a game all season, too. The majority of his dimes were to wide open teammates, and he dished it on point both off the drive and while surveying from beyond the arc.
Boston totaled 27 assists on 44 made baskets, a 61 percent effort that would make Larry Bird and his 80’s Celtics teams proud.
Without Tatum, the Celtics face a lofty uphill battle to get back on top. But all his injury does against an opponent like the Knicks is level the playing field, and that reality is more evident now than ever as the series shifts back to New York.
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Nick Giannino covers the Boston Celtics for CNHI Sports Boston. Contact him at NGiannino@nobmg.com.