The Boston Celtics blew a huge lead in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday night, but Colin Cowherd does not think New York Knicks fans should be all that excited about it.
The Knicks beat the Celtics 108-105 in overtime at TD Garden in Boston, Mass. The Celtics had a 75-55 lead midway through the third quarter, but they went ice cold from three-point range the rest of the way. That allowed New York to get back into the game, and Cowherd does not see a similar situation unfolding again.
During Tuesday’s edition of his “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” show, Cowherd said the Knicks’ win in Game 1 is meaningless. He does not think they will win another game the rest of the series.
“Knick fans, I’ve never seen a Game 1 upset that means less. This is the only game the Knicks are gonna win,” Cowherd said. “Boston’s not gonna miss 45 threes. I know, enjoy the moment, Knick fans. You are feeling it today. Oh, give me a break. Boston got a 20-point lead. They hammered this team all year. They fell asleep, and then they just took bad shots.”
The Celtics went 15-of-60 on three-point attempts. Cowherd noted how that type of fluke performance is the same one that was seen a handful of times from the Golden State Warriors when they were dominating the NBA.
“The Celtics had the third-fewest layups in the league and the fewest free throws. What does it mean? They don’t create shots. They don’t. They just live and die with the three,” Cowherd added. “Like those great Warriors teams, when Steph (Curry) and Klay (Thompson) weren’t hitting them, they had bad nights. They got blown out multiple times in the Finals.”
"I've never seen a Game 1 upset that means less. This is the only game the Knicks are going to win."@ColinCowherd isn't worried about the Celtics after their overtime loss to New York pic.twitter.com/HzWkDJn1lB
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 6, 2025
Cowherd is right that the way the Celtics shot the ball was flukey. They even set an unwanted NBA record with the performance, so you could argue that it is highly unlikely they will have that poor of a shooting night again.
Does that make the Game 1 win completely meaningless for the Knicks? No. They still showed they can win a tough game on the road against the defending NBA champions, which counts for something. Whether it will result in a major series upset remains to be seen.
