Why Celtics Fans Should Stay Optimistic After Game 1 Setback Against the Knicks

The Celtics endured an unexpected Game 1 defeat at their home court despite having a lead of up to 20 points. They managed only 25 percent shooting from beyond the arc, with 45 missed three-pointers. an NBA playoff record .

Even with all the drawbacks from their defeat on Monday night, supporters can find some optimism when thinking about Game 2 on Wednesday.

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To what extent should Boston Celtics supporters be concerned after losing game one?

Even though the Celtics didn't perform exceptionally well in Game 1, repeating such a showing is improbable.

The Celtics are known to be a 3-point reliant team and struggled to find their rhythm shooting out of the slump. A mid-game scratch at halftime from Kristaps Porzingis (due to illness) seemed to lead to less emphasis on getting the ball inside and to the basket.

The Knicks The Celtics managed only 36.5% accuracy from beyond the arc during their initial encounter with the Pistons but improved significantly to hit at a rate of 45.9% in Monday’s victory. This contrast between poor three-point shooting for Boston and exceptional performance by New York shouldn’t persist through Game 2.

More of an emphasis on getting the ball to the basket and taking advantage of mismatches in the post and isolations is normally the Celtics' bread and butter, yet they went away from it in Game 1. The two "Jays" didn't do this enough and stuck to the perimeter, where they were just a combined 5-for-25.

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Porzingis' status for Game 2 will be something looked at, as it will change the approach of the Celtics' game plan going into Wednesday.

Following Sam Hauser’s early exit due to an ankle injury, the Celtics may need to rely on a "ready-to-go" reserve like Torrey Craig or Baylor Scheierman forGame 2.

The Celtics must maintain pressure on the Knicks by attacking the rim and putting rotational players into foul difficulty. Although they achieved some progress with this strategy in the first half, they failed to take full advantage of it during the latter part.

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