The Boston Celtics have to bury their dreams of a repeat after losing Game 6 to the Knicks. While a difficult offseason lies ahead for the reigning champions, Jaylen Brown couldn’t resist taking a jab at New York.
“It feels strange to be done in May – we definitely didn’t expect that. This year just didn’t work out for us, and that’s bitter. But we’re still keeping our heads up,” Brown said after the defeat, in which he was the top scorer with 20 points but fouled out at the end of the third quarter. “Losing to the Knicks feels like death. But I was taught that there is life after death – so let’s get ready for whatever comes next,” he taunted the Knicks.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla, on the other hand, proved to be a gracious loser. ‘We came up against a great team. You have to take your hat off to the Knicks – they outplayed us, they were simply better,’ he summed up. After his team had shown a strong response in Game 5, they didn’t stand a chance in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden. Apart from Brown, only Payton Pritchard (11) and Al Horford (10) scored in double figures, with the rest disappointing across the board.
“You never get this season back. You’ll never have exactly the same team again. There were definitely ups and downs this season – but right now, the disappointment just outweighs everything else,” said Derrick White after the game. In Game 5, White had been the outstanding player with 34 points, making his performance in Game 6 (8 points, 3/11 FG) all the more disappointing.
Boston Celtics face difficult offseason
The Celtics are facing a difficult offseason. Jayson Tatum will miss most of the upcoming season after his Achilles tendon injury, and Boston has by far the most expensive roster in the league with a payroll of $500 million if they keep all their players.
The answer to that question depends, of course, on money. The sale to the new owners led by Bill Chisholm, who bought the franchise for over $6 billion in the summer, will soon be finalized. However, it is not known to what extent the investor is willing to pay luxury tax. In any case, there will likely be changes.
Furthermore, the team is not getting any younger and it is unclear how many good seasons Al Horford and Jrue Holiday have left in them. Towards the end of the Knicks series, both struggled and did not come close to the level we are used to seeing from them. The same goes for Kristaps Porzingis, who continues to battle a mysterious respiratory illness that is noticeably limiting him.
