The Boston Celtics were completely manhandled by the New York Knicks on Monday night.
Tom Thibodeau’s team was in full control of the game from the jump, leading by as many as 20 points en route to a 15-point easy win at home.
It was an off-night for most of the Celtics, and not having Jaylen Brown around sure didn’t do a lot to help their cause.
But above all of those issues, Jayson Tatum’s play was one of the main reasons for their struggles, as the Knicks did an outstanding job of staying in his face and getting him out of rhythm with some pesky and suffocating defense.
Tatum was clearly frustrated for most of the game, up to the point where he didn’t even make it to the final buzzer.
He was sent back to the locker room after piling up a couple of technical fouls, which put the last nail in his team’s coffin.
When asked about his ejection, Tatum was as sarcastic as one could expect from a player trying to avoid getting fined.
“I just told them this is probably the best officiated game I’ve been a part of. I tried to give them a compliment, it didn’t go over so well,” Tatum said.
"I just told them this is probably the best officiated game I've been a part of. I tried to give them a compliment, it didn't go over so well."
Jayson Tatum on his ejection vs. Knicks pic.twitter.com/cNU6hkkQRf
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) February 28, 2023
Truth be told, the refs were not great, but that worked both ways.
The Knicks were the better team from the start, and they never took their feet off the gas; it’s as simple as that.
The Celtics won’t have a lot of time to regroup and get back on track, as the Milwaukee Bucks continue to breathe down their necks for the top spot in the East.
As for the Knicks, they’re much better than most people think, so keep an eye on them in the final stretch of the season.
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