Knicks stun Celtics after overcoming 20-point deficit to steal Game 1

BOSTON — In the waning seconds of overtime, New York Knicks wing Mikal Bridges ripped a potential game-tying 3-point attempt from the hands of Boston Celtics counterpart Jaylen Brown, and the underdogs walked out of TD Garden with a stunning Game 1 victory in their East semifinal playoff series, 108-105.

The Knicks stormed back from a 20-point, second-half deficit to make a close game of what appeared to be headed for a blowout. Boston’s Jayson Tatum (23 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists) and New York’s Jalen Brunson (29 points, 5 assists) both missed opportunities to break a 100-100 tie in the waning seconds of regulation — Tatum a step-back 3-pointer, Brunson a layup. But OG Anunoby (29 points) and the Knicks outscored the Celtics 8-5 in overtime to steal home court.

Targeting Karl-Anthony Towns

From the jump, Tatum attacked Karl-Anthony Towns in the pick-and-roll, repeatedly calling him into the action. He drove on him, drew a foul. He drained a 3-pointer when Towns slept on a switch. So scared of another one, Towns jumped on a pump fake, and Tatum drew a second foul. All in the first five minutes.

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Josh Hart also picked up his second foul in the opening five minutes defending Tatum. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was forced to go to his bench early, so what did Tatum do? He picked on Mitchell Robinson instead. By the end of the first quarter, Tatum had 13 of the Celtics’ 26 points. Easily.

Towns returned in the second quarter, only to get worked by Brown in the pick-and-roll, adding a third foul. And when Towns sat for a second time, Payton Pritchard went about working on Robinson. It was a rotating cast of characters, demanding New York’s weakest defender, creating an array of quality shots.

Not that all of those shots found the bottom of the basket…