NBA insider reveals how the Boston Celtics 'could break up' this summer

The Boston Celtics have instantly become the biggest talking point during this NBA Playoffs, and not in a positive way given how poorly Jayson Tatum and Co. have played as the defending league champions now trail the New York Knicks 2-0 in their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup.

While Boston's on-court struggles are certainly noticeable, ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst says this series against the Knicks has far bigger implications for the Celtics.

The Celtics could break up if they lose this series against the Knicks, per @WindhorstESPN

“There's a possibility this team's not gonna come back. ... That's what's on the line.”

(🎥 @FirstTake ) pic.twitter.com/wpeTToT1nR
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 8, 2025

While speaking on First Take Thursday morning, Windhorst revealed that the Celtics "could break up if they lose this series," especially given the fact that the reigning champions have so many inflated contracts that go beyond their star-studded duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla and his team have quite the road ahead with the series shifting back to New York, but if the Celtics do manage to come back and reach the Eastern Conference Finals that could spur on another NBA Finals run from Boston.

The Celtics have missed a combined 75 three-point attempts in their two games vs. the Knicks 😲 pic.twitter.com/N5XiG8okX0
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 8, 2025

The Celtics have been shooting miserably from three-point range against the Knicks, including setting an NBA Playoffs record for the most missed threes in a single game (45).

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