The Boston Celtics return to TD Garden for Game 5 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series trailing the New York Knicks 3–1 and facing elimination without their franchise cornerstone Jayson Tatum, whose season-ending Achilles injury has dramatically altered the team’s playoff outlook and forced others to shoulder the offensive and emotional burden. Despite the adversity, the Celtics still possess a wealth of talent, leadership, and playoff experience, and their mission is clear: extend the series and keep their championship hopes alive by protecting home court and rediscovering the two-way intensity that made them one of the NBA’s most dominant regular-season teams. Jaylen Brown now sits firmly in the spotlight, expected to be the Celtics’ go-to scorer and perimeter anchor, and although he’s had strong individual performances in the series, Boston needs him to be transcendent in Game 5—initiating offense, creating scoring opportunities in isolation, and stepping into the void left by Tatum’s absence with full confidence. Around him, role players like Derrick White, Marcus Smart, and Jrue Holiday will need to raise their level of play both offensively and defensively, especially when it comes to slowing down Jalen Brunson, whose surgical control of pace and late-clock execution has buried Boston in multiple games already.

The Celtics have leaned heavily on their three-point shooting all season, but without Tatum drawing doubles and shifting defensive rotations, those looks have become more contested and less reliable, making it critical that Boston finds creative ways to generate better shots, attack the paint more aggressively, and get to the free-throw line. Coach Joe Mazzulla is likely to mix defensive looks, perhaps throwing traps or hedges at Brunson to disrupt his rhythm and force other Knicks to make plays under pressure, but the Celtics must also clean up their transition defense and rebounding if they want to prevent New York from controlling tempo and getting second-chance points. Defensively, the Celtics still have the tools to clamp down—Al Horford’s positioning, Smart’s versatility, and White’s off-ball instincts all remain valuable weapons—but they must string together full quarters of focus and physicality to neutralize a Knicks team that thrives on outworking opponents and capitalizing on mistakes. The energy inside TD Garden should provide a boost, especially if the Celtics can start fast and build an early lead to shake off the weight of the series deficit and remind themselves of what they’re capable of. While the loss of Tatum narrows their margin for error, the Celtics are still too deep, too battle-tested, and too tough to go down without a fight, and a Game 5 win would not only shift momentum but reassert Boston’s identity as a team that thrives when its back is against the wall. If Brown plays like a superstar, the role players step up, and the defense returns to form, the Celtics have every reason to believe they can protect home court and send this series back to Madison Square Garden for Game 6.