Locked On Celtics - "EMBARRASSING: Boston Celtics COLLAPSE AGAIN! Down 2-0 to New York Knicks"

Host: John Karalis
Date: May 8, 2025

Episode Overview

John Karalis reacts to the Celtics’ shocking 91-90 home loss in Game 2 of the second-round series against the New York Knicks, which drops Boston into a 2-0 series hole. With the team squandering another double-digit lead and completely melting down in the fourth quarter, Karalis delivers a passionate, sometimes scathing assessment of Boston’s poise, execution, and leadership. This episode ranges from granular play analysis to gut-level rants on what’s really going wrong with the reigning NBA champions.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Déjà Vu Collapse: Another Double-Digit Lead Blown

• Boston's Game Flow:
  • The Celtics, having lost their first home game to the Knicks in similar fashion, were up by 20 points late in the third quarter. Echoes of Game 1 were undeniable.
  • “It looked very similar, right? They were up 70 to 50... Knicks hit a three. The Celtics answered. It was 73, 51...” (07:15)
• Fourth Quarter Disaster:
  • The Celtics went over eight minutes without a field goal in the fourth quarter.
  • “The Celtics went 8 minutes and 21 seconds without making a basket.” (10:10)
  • Payton Pritchard’s three at 8:40 was followed by the next Celtics basket (a Jayson Tatum dunk) with just 19 seconds left.

2. Execrable Offense and Star Letdowns

• Stars Go Missing:
  • Tatum and Brown struggled mightily. Tatum was the only star to even make a field goal in the fourth, and Brown scored zero points.
  • “Tatum scored four points in the fourth quarter. Jalen brown scored zero and was a minus 15.” (31:20)
• Dismal Numbers:
  • Celtics: 5-of-24 shooting in the final quarter.
  • “The only person make more than one basket was Peyton Pritchard. He made two. Should have just left him in.” (31:10)
  • Drew Holiday: zero fourth quarter attempts; Derrick White ice-cold.

3. Lack of Poise and Championship Mentality

• Where's the Champion's Edge?
  • Karalis repeatedly hammers the lack of composure and killer instinct, especially after last year’s title run.
  • “What happened to the poise? What happened to the championship aura of this team? What happened to, you’ve won a title. You can play carefree, Nothing bothers you anymore. You’ve played on the biggest stage.” (26:45)
• Bright Lights and Big Questions:
  • “I asked Kristaps Porzingis before the series started about playing at MSG ... I got a lot of crap on social media for these guys, you know, for asking him that question. ... They can’t handle the bright lights of the fourth quarter at home.” (27:10)

4. Timeout Debate: No Timeout on Final Possession

• Explaining Missoula's Call:
  • With Boston down 1 and 13 seconds left, Missoula let the team play on rather than call timeout.
  • “You don’t call a timeout. You just go. I knew, I knew ahead of time. ... That’s why you save the timeout. In that situation, you rely on NBA pros to run a play, which they should be able to do, get a shot off, which they should have been able to do.” (18:50)
  • Key rationale: Save the timeout for a possible miss, and trust the veteran lineup.

5. Individual Player Performances

• Porzingis Under the Weather:
  • “Porzingis was back. He did not start. He’s dealing with the illness ... His energy is not there.” (38:05)
  • One promising fourth quarter sequence (dunk + a three), but overall not himself.
• Hauser’s Absence & Bench Struggles:
  • "They lost Hauser... He was a key component..."
  • Bench scoring and energy lacking badly.

6. Knicks' Grit and Execution

• Credit Where Due:
  • "The Knicks... they don’t die. They come back, they have no problems playing from behind. And in the fourth quarter, no fear of the fourth quarter. They shot 12 of 24 in the fourth quarter. The Celtics were 5 of 24. So the Knicks found ways to make shots. They kept finding ways to make shots." (40:50)

7. Foul Strategy & Mitchell Robinson

• Missoula’s Adjustment:
  • Celtics fouled Robinson before the bonus to force him off the floor—a move Missoula explained in postgame.
  • “Missoula’s reasoning was I needed to get the Plus 19 guy off the floor and that was the way to do it.” (42:15)

8. Fundamental Failure: Finishing at the Rim

• Fourth quarter collapses aside, Karalis highlights the poor finishing in the paint as key to Boston's frustrations.
• "They blew layups. It’s the second game in a row that they blew layups. Gotta make these easy shots." (44:08)

9. Echoes of Bad Regular Season Habits

• "I can’t help but think that the regular season, some of these habits that they had are coming back to bite them... It’s like they didn’t have the fight to finish." (45:50)

10. Desperate Outlook for Game 3

• “It’s a must win. Obviously. It’s a must win. You can’t go down three nothing.” (47:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Rants

• On the Fourth Quarter Collapse:

  “Unforgivable for the Boston Celtics, with Tatum and Brown, to go eight plus minutes in a fourth quarter of a playoff game without a bucket. That is beyond... outrageous.” (30:35)

• On Jayson Tatum’s Missed Clutch Moment:

  “When Jayson Tatum drove left, it looked like he was going to get a baseline shot up. ... That’s the Paul Pierce type of play you should have gone to in that situation. That’s why he’s Jayson Tatum. ... You gotta Paul Pierce that thing.” (17:30)

• On Team Identity Crisis:

  “Who are you guys? This is embarrassing. This is embarrassing. ... Jalen Brown and Jayson Tatum should be embarrassed that they could not score in the fourth quarter.” (31:00)

• On Low Expectations and Fan Sentiment:

  “I think a lot of Celtics fans are going to come into the comment section and be like, yeah, yeah, we agree we suck right now.” (49:55)

Key Timestamps

• 07:15 — Celtics' third quarter lead, parallels to Game 1.
• 10:10 — Eight minute, 21 second scoring drought detailed.
• 17:30 — Timeout strategy and last possession analysis.
• 26:45 — Concerns on Celtics’ poise and mental toughness.
• 27:10 — Questioning if Celtics can handle playoff pressure.
• 30:35 — “Unforgivable” fourth quarter stats for Tatum/Brown.
• 31:00 — “Who are you guys? This is embarrassing.”
• 38:05 — Porzingis illness and lackluster return.
• 40:50 — Knicks' poise in the fourth quarter.
• 42:15 — Missoula’s logic on intentionally fouling Robinson.
• 44:08 — Missed layups and early execution woes.
• 45:50 — Regression to regular season bad habits.
• 47:20 — Game 3 as a must-win.
• 49:55 — Fanbase resignation and mood check.

Tone & Language

Karalis maintains his signature Celtics beat-writer blend: direct, frustrated, occasionally wry, and deeply invested in the team’s identity. He balances exasperated rants (“Who are you guys?”) with the analytic, X’s-and-O’s breakdowns listeners depend on.

Summary Takeaway

This episode is a cathartic gut-check for Celtics followers. Karalis expresses genuine concern over the team's lack of resiliency, championship poise, and offensive execution in late-game pressure. As the series heads to Madison Square Garden, the Celtics face enormous urgency. Karalis warns: To avoid an early summer, they must “execute and finish” — and rediscover the mentality that made them champions just a year ago.