Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Joe Mazzulla "need their a** whipped," says ex-Celtics champion 

Former Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins delivered scathing criticism of coach Joe Mazzulla and star players Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown after the team went down in Game 2 against the New York Knicks. The Celtics let slip a 20-point lead for the second consecutive game, losing homecourt advantage in the Eastern Conference semifinals and trailing 2-0.

With the next two games on the road, Boston seemingly faces the prospect of a sweep at the hands of New York, which would mark a disastrous result for the defending champions, who were overwhelming favorites. Perkins, who won the title with the Celtics in 2008, expressed his displeasure after Wednesday's Game 2 loss.

"Joe, Tatum, Brown and the Celtics need their ass whipped," he tweeted. "Another embarrassing performance at Home."

Game 2 followed a similar script to Game 1, where the Celtics dominated for close to three quarters before allowing the scrappy Knicks to claw their way back. In Game 1, Mikal Bridges got the clutch stop on Jaylen Brown, while Wednesday's contest ended with the Knicks' defensive specialist clamping down on Jayson Tatum on the final possession to give New York a 91-90 win.

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Jaylen Brown on Celtics being down 2-0

Jaylen Brown sounded optimistic about the Celtics bouncing back despite losing home-court advantage in the semis against the Knicks. The Celtics forward spoke about everything Boston must do and why he has faith in the team to get the job done over the next two games.

"What’s done is done. Now we got an opportunity to see what we’re made of."

Brown reflected on the fourth quarter struggles, saying:

"We gotta be better to close games. We gotta learn and respond fast. That’s the key. Shift your mentality, shift your focus. What’s in the past is over with. Let is sting a little bit. Then do whatever it takes, game three."

The reigning finals MVP showed faith in his teammates, suggesting that they are among the few teams, if not the only team, capable of pulling off a comeback from this position.

Jaylen Brown had 20-point outings in both games, but wasn't efficient in either. He shot 35.0% or less and will hope for a better display in Games 3 and 4. The Celtics have shown they can outplay the Knicks for prolonged stretches and just need more discipline and organization down the stretch to get back in the series.