It’s a game that will live on forever in Knicks playoff lore.
Down by 20 points more than midway through the third quarter, the Knicks came storming back against the defending champion Boston Celtics to steal Game 1, 108-105 in overtime, at TD Garden.
Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges all delivered clutch heroics to go up 1-0 in the second-round playoff series, while the heavily favored Celtics set a dubious postseason record.
But what does that mean moving forward?
Let’s unwrap the Knicks’ instant-classic win by the numbers.
51.6%
With Monday’s win, the third-seeded Knicks significantly increased their odds of upsetting the second-seeded Celtics.
Since the NBA expanded to a 16-team playoff format in 1984, the teams that won Game 1 on the road in a 2-2-1-1-1 series went on to advance 51.6% of the time. Indeed, the teams that won Game 1 on the road are 64-60 in those series all time.
That essentially amounts to a pick ‘em, but considering the Game 1 road teams are typically underdogs in the series, most would sign up for those odds.
Conversely, the teams that won Game 1 at home in a 2-2-1-1-1 format went 271-47 (85.2%) in those series.
The Knicks’ odds would skyrocket if they won Game 2 too. The teams that won Games 1 and 2 on the road won 24 of those 28 series, or 85.7%.
45
That’s how many 3-pointers the Celtics missed in Game 1, setting an NBA playoff record.
They finished 15-of-60 (25.0%) on 3-point attempts, compared to 19-of-37 (51.4%) on shots inside the arc.
Boston’s barrage of misses allowed the Knicks to climb back into the game.
In the third quarter, the Celtics attempted 19 3-pointers, compared to only one — one! — 2-pointer. They shot 2-of-15 on 3-pointers, and 2-of-6 on 2-pointers, during a fourth quarter in which the Knicks outscored them, 25-16.
Jaylen Brown started 0-for-9 from 3-point range before he finally made his final attempt in overtime.
Jayson Tatum went 4-of-15 and missed three 3-pointers in the final 1:39 of the fourth quarter, including a contested stepback with 9.1 seconds left with the score tied.
One fewer 3-point miss from the Celtics in regulation would have won them the game.
“Probably some times where we settled,” Tatum said, adding, “I could’ve put more pressure on the rim, but a lot of times we felt like we got some really, really good looks and just couldn’t convert.”
The Knicks, meanwhile, shot 17-of-37 (45.9%) on 3-pointers.
1.7%
The Knicks had a 1.7% win probability with 5:47 left in the third quarter, according to ESPN Analytics.
That was the moment Derrick White made a 3-pointer to put Boston up 75-55.
From there, the Knicks unleashed a furious 31-11 run, tying the game at 86-86 at the 7:26 mark of the fourth quarter.
Anunoby scored 15 points during that run, including three 3-pointers and the transition dunk off of his own steal that tied the game.
+8
Karl-Anthony Towns has taken some heat for several quiet performances this postseason, but his +8 in Monday’s win was the best point differential among Knicks starters.
Towns navigated foul trouble throughout Monday’s game, limiting him to 31 minutes, but he finished with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting and led the Knicks with 13 rebounds.
His tip-in lay-up after a Brunson miss with 1:47 left in overtime was one of the bigger shots in the game, putting the Knicks up by six.
Even with stretches of limited involvement, Towns made the most of his chances.
19
That’s how many times the Knicks set a ball-screen for Brunson that left Al Horford as his defender, according to NBA.com, which cited Second Spectrum tracking.
That mismatch led to two clutch baskets by Brunson down the stretch.
With Horford switched onto him, Brunson drilled a stepback 3-pointer with 4:07 left in the fourth quarter, giving the Knicks a 94-91 lead.
On the Knicks’ next possession, Brunson made another stepback 3-pointer over Horford, increasing the lead to 97-91.
The Knicks scored only 0.75 points per possession when screens put Horford on Brunson, but those big 3-pointers accounted for six of Brunson’s 11 fourth-quarter points.
Horford, 38, played the final 8:47 of the fourth quarter and all of overtime after Kristaps Porzingis left the game with an illness.
Porzingis did not play well during a scoreless first half, missing all four of his shots, but the 7-3 center has regularly caused issues for the Knicks, and his absence meant fewer opportunities to keep Horford fresh.
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