Jay King

6 days ago | nytimes.com | Jay King

BOSTON - While the outside world focused solely on the Celtics' late-game failures in Game 2, Joe Mazzulla pointed to another inflection point in his team's stunning collapse. With three minutes left in the first half, a Derrick White 3-pointer gave his team a 46-30 lead. On a 9-0 spurt, the Celtics had a chance to tuck the New York Knicks into bed. Looking to continue his team's run, White applied full-court pressure to Josh Hart. The TD Garden crowd was already on its feet.

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Jay King

BOSTON - What would Jayson Tatum have said? How would he have explained his turnover with two seconds left in the Celtics' 91-90 Game 2 loss to the Knicks? How would he have reacted after one of the worst postseason outings of his career, which ended with a 1-of-5 fourth quarter during his team's second straight second-half collapse? Would Tatum have projected confidence? Would he have sounded defeated?

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Jay King

BOSTON - Two days before the Boston Celtics' second-round series opener, Joe Mazzulla explained why he leans on history to help his team handle certain situations. He didn't yet know the frustration coming in a 108-105 overtime Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks, but Mazzulla had studied the past enough to realize the Celtics could soon encounter trouble. "That just maintains a high level of perspective," Mazzulla said.

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Jay King

Before folding himself into the car for the eight-hour drive to Birmingham, Ala., Brad Stevens wondered aloud why he would travel so far to see Ronald Nored's high school basketball game. Nored, who had initially committed to Western Kentucky, had reopened his recruiting after head coach Darrin Horn left the school for the same position at South Carolina. Stevens, the Butler head coach, had tentative interest in landing Nored but wasn't fully sold on the prospect.

1 week ago | ourcommunitynow.com | Fred Katz |Jay King |James Edwards

The inevitable is here.For months, the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks have appeared on a second-round crash course. The forecasts were accurate.The Celtics will host Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday. Our experts are here to preview it.Three of The Athletic’s NBA writers — Jay King, who covers the Celtics; James L.