Funny, Garnett and Pierce question the Celtics "IQ" against the Knicks

Boston Celtics legendary stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce criticized the team's performance against the New York Knicks without hesitation.

The Boston Celtics are in a difficult situation at the moment, to say the least. The Celtics had led 20 points in two consecutive games, but now they are 0-2 in the second round.

This is obviously beyond the expectations of most people for the defending champion. Now they are feeling the anger of Celtic legends Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, two players who are key figures in the Celtics’ incredible 2008 championship journey.

In fact, Pierce was furious after losing to Garnett to bet they would win the second game.

On the KG Certified Podcast, both of them bluntly questioned the Celtics’ IQ, and they are in deep crisis. They said that if the Celtics were still playing, they would have cut back on three-point shots and opted to take the ball more, and the Celtics did not do that.

"That's what we've been saying," Garnett said. "There are no players like me who can think. Of course I am thinking, but I really don't know, man, I just can't see them concentrating on defeating their opponents in the fourth quarter. I lag you 15 points behind in the third quarter, and we tied with five minutes left. This is called execution, this is called thinking ability. This is called IQ. I have to have IQ to know, if we fall behind and miss three three-pointers, what will happen next? If we miss three three-pointers in a row, what should we do?"

Pierce concluded.

"We scored layups and made some achievements in the inside," he said. Pierce also said the Knicks' confrontation is much more intense. He believes that Jaylen Brunson, Josh Hart and Carl Anthony Towns' performances have strengthened the Knicks' determination.

"I see the Knicks focus more on physical confrontation than we do," Pierce said. "It's very prominent for me. Physical confrontation. Hart, Brunson, KAT. Man, offensive rebounds, I mean, they're so awesome and bring the ball to the basket.

Although the Celtics built a 20-point lead, that's not enough for Pierce and Garnett.

How should the Celtics reverse?

It's obvious that the Celtics need to improve their 3-point shooting percentage. As Garnett said, you can’t just shoot three-pointers at will.

They also put themselves in a precarious situation as they let the Knicks counterattack in the second half and overtime. The Celtics need to strengthen their defense and grab rebounds more frequently.

The Knicks almost scored second offensive points and caught the rebounds better. The Celtics’ defense must remain intact throughout the game, especially later in the game.