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.

The Celtics blew a 14-point lead, then lost their best player to injury in a Game 4 loss to the Knicks that pushed the defending champions to the brink of elimination.