The Boston Celtics may be in deep trouble now more than ever as they have faced adversity for the first time in the playoffs. The defending champions are down 0-2 in their East Semis against the New York Knicks. With the series shifting on the road, it does seem that fans would be right to be worried with the way this postseason run is turning out to be.

Two games, two 20-point leads, two losses. That has been the story so far in this series as the Celtics have found themselves in winning positions in both games, only to end up choking in the fourth and having a massive meltdown down the stretch. With the series still two games away from ending should the Knicks win the next matches, it is safe to say that the Celtics are in danger.

In fact, all home teams in the second round of the playoffs this season have gone 0-6 before the Oklahoma City Thunder won in Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets. The Cleveland Cavaliers have also lost its first two, and the Minnesota Timberwolves lost its first game. If the Celtics are keen to win their second title in a row, they need to respond well.

The Meltdowns

Boston has found itself leading by 20 in both Games 1 and 2, and yet the Knicks continued to chip away and put in some impressive plays before eventually stealing the game away. In both games, it was Mikal Bridges who delivered the knockout punch for the Knicks, stealing the ball away from Jaylen Brown in Game 1, and then doing the same against Jayson Tatum in Game 2.

Both Boston stars failed to put up a shot attempt in the dying seconds of the game, which says a lot about the struggle that really has the Celtics engulfed with so far. In fact, Tatum and Brown combined for just two points in the fourth quarter of Game 2, going 1-10 from the field. As a team, Boston scored only 17 points and was 5-24 from the field, including 2-11 from three.

New York was laughed at and trolled for most of the season as it went 0-10 against all 60-win teams, and yet it has gone 2-0 versus Boston so far. This just says a lot about the big difference of the intensity in the NBA Playoffs – especially in the second round so far.

The Three-Point Dilemma

The Boston Celtics is the best three-point shooting team in the league this season. And it makes perfect sense that they would also have a lot of misses as they attempt the most threes in the game. So far, it isn’t working well for the defending champs as they have now attempted 100 threes in just the first two games.

It hasn’t really been a big difference as the Knicks certainly shot better than them, which says a lot about how the three should be a massive problem for the Celtics at this point. For a team that continuously drops a lot of bricks from three, it is certainly killing their chances.

Out of those 100 attempts, Boston has only made 25 threes. It is a huge difference maker considering that this is a series that will need to see at least six games if the Celtics are going to keep their title hopes alive.