The Boston Celtics’ title defense came to a grinding halt at the hands of old rivals New York Knicks, who beat them in six games, following which massive celebrations erupted all around the Big Apple. Paul Pierce, understandably, wasn’t happy. The Celtics legend has now taken a dig at New York once again.
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What helped the Knicks win? Collective strong performances from the entire team? Absolutely. But Paul Pierce also credits a bit of good fortune for their run to the first Conference Finals appearance since 2000.
In the first two games of the series at TD Garden, Boston held leads of more than 20 points each time. Yet, on both occasions, late-game shooting slumps from their stars allowed the Knicks to rally back and secure victories. According to Pierce, luck played a key role in helping New York overcome those deficits.
“I say this every year in the playoffs. In order to win a title, you have to be good and lucky. If I had told you Boston’s gonna be up for their first two home games by 20, and they’re gonna lose both of them, you have to have a little luck on your side,” Pierce recently said.
.@paulpierce34 says the New York Knicks got lucky against his Celtics. #Celtics #Knicks #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/RWvYzbEV6v
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) May 19, 2025
Coming into the series, Pierce, speaking on behalf of all Celtics fans, insisted that he didn’t expect them to break the record for the most three-point misses in an NBA game with 45. It completely took the offensive mojo out of their system and allowed New York to mount a comeback.
Pierce, as such, suggested that the Knicks’ winning was more down to the Celtics underperforming, but he feels those types of wins are what make championship-winning teams. He took the example of the 2008 NBA finals, where the Celtics were down by 20 in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers but came back. “We can’t walk them down, and we win a game we’re not supposed to win.”
Furthermore, he feels that the Knicks did not do better than the Celtics. They just worked harder.
Pierce predicts an Indiana win
Just a short while after the Knicks blew out the Celtics in Game 6 (119-81), Pierce posted a video on his social media belittling New York fans for celebrating a win against a Boston team without their star player Jayson Tatum.
He then confidently declared that the Pacers would get the better of them, just like they did in 2000 when they last met in the ECF. “You know, whatever, Pacers gonna pop y’all though. So I don’t even wanna hear all that, y’all feeling good, y’all beat the Celtics. Y’all beat an injured Celtics team… So you know, whatever,” the 10-time All-Star said.
The Pacers have been one of the hottest teams this post-season, and shocked the number one team in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers, beating them in five games.
Can New York really get the better of this Pacers team led by Tyrese Haliburton? They’ll have to be at their best.
