Mazzulla, Brown and Horford all said that Boston didn't play up to its standard defensively. This is true, particularly in the second half. But both sides of the floor are connected, and Mazzulla pointed out that the Knicks were able to play with pace in part because of the Celtics' poor offensive execution.

Jaylen Brown drove to the basket—only for Mikal Bridges (who else?) to strip the ball and ignite a fast break that ended with OG Anunoby scoring to make it 113–104