BOSTON — Long after the Celtics blew a second 20-point lead in as many games of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the New York Knicks, Jaylen Brown sat silently at his locker, staring straight ahead. In front of him, as it is in all of their lockers, was a quote from, of all people, Phil Jackson.
"You're only a success at the moment you perform a successful act. You have to do it again."
There is no better descriptor for what the NBA's defending champions face following a 91-90 loss in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series.