Sometimes it’s about winning the mind game, and ex-Knicks star David Lee says his former team has the edge in that department against the Celtics.
“I think there was definitely a mental aspect to what happened (Wednesday) in Game 2,” Lee told The Post about the shocking 2-0 series lead grabbed by the Knicks.
“If you’re the Celtics, you either have to say ‘Ok, we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing and have the confidence that we are going to shoot our way out of it.’ Or you have to try to change your whole game plan. I just think they will stick with exactly what they are doing and they’re going to have confidence that their shots will eventually go in.”
The Celtics really struggled down the stretches of Games 1 and 2, blowing 20-point leads and shooting a horrific 17.5 percent from the field from the three-minute mark of the third quarter through the end of Game 2.
They shot 14 3-pointers in that time, making only two and turning the ball over six times.
Lee wouldn’t recommend that Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, who has been under fire for his lack of late-game adjustments, make any major changes to his strategy or rotations, adding that one missing piece is really hurting them.
“It helps [the Knicks] that [Kristaps] Porzingis isn’t at full strength. I think he’s the guy that I look at that probably hasn’t given them as much as he normally does when healthy,” Lee said. “But I think the rest of [the issues] is you kind of live by the 3, die by the 3.”
When it comes to the Celtics’ struggles, Lee is looking for Boston to continue shooting the basketball like it has throughout the season.
Boston has hit just 25 of 100 3-point attempts this series.
“If you all of a sudden say ‘OK, we’re going to shoot less 3’s and we’re going to attack the rim and we’re going to change our lineups,'” Lee said, “then I think you’re going away from what has been the strength of your team that won the championship last year and has been one of the best teams all season long.'”
“But if you keep shooting 3’s and they keep not going in, now you’re putting more pressure on yourself to make 3’s. Because don’t think that (Wednesday) when they go up 20, that they didn’t think in the back of their minds they weren’t saying, ‘This is where we were in Game 1’ and then the Knicks start making a couple of shots and the Celtics start thinking, ‘OK, here we go again.'”
That kind of mental fortitude is what has made the Knicks so infectious to watch this season.
The familiar face told The Post that he’ll return to The Mecca for Game 3, cheering on his former team and the rest of the Knicks as they look to take a 3-0 series lead in an already stunning semifinal.
“We’re very excited, me and my wife will be there, going to Game 3 cheering them on,” Lee said. “I’m obviously still a Knicks fan and have so much respect for the franchise.”
The former Knick captain averaged a double-double in three of his five seasons with the team from 2005-10, including a standout performance in the 2009-10 season when he put up 20.2 points and 11.7 rebounds per game.
“Really cool thing to look back on,” Lee said about being the Knicks’ captain so early in his career. “That’s not an easy thing mentally or pressure-wise to handle, and I think part of it for me was I was so young I was kinda naive about it. I was just like, ‘Well, I’m just going to go out and play hard and compete.’
“And looking back on it now, to be the captain of the Knicks and be the leader on that team for a few years is a really special honor.”
Lee departed for the Warriors in 2010, which just so happened to be Stephen Curry’s rookie year.
“He was a guy who struggled with injuries, but obviously a great teammate, great person. Always had the ability to shoot the ball at an elite level,” Lee said. “Keep in mind, back then, some of the shots he’s making on a regular basis now, those are the shots that, when you would shoot them back in the day, they would pull you out of the game. So this is a guy that has really changed the makeup of the NBA and what people do offensively now.”
The Warriors, who are now tied in their series against the Timberwolves after stealing Game 1, will now be forced to play without their four-time champion and star guard going forward due to a hamstring strain.
And who knows, if the Knicks and Warriors both win this round and the next, then these teams would have a date in the upcoming finals, although sportsbooks have their doubts.
Both are underdogs in their respective series according to oddsmakers at DraftKings, with the Knicks coming in at +100 to win the series against the Celtics despite winning two games in Boston.
“Yeah, that’s surprising to me,” Lee said. “I got the Knicks winning the series now.”
