Celtics set playoff record nobody wants for missing 3-pointers in loss to Knicks

The Boston Celtics lived this mantra more than any team ever had in NBA Playoffs history:

Live by the 3, die by the 3.

On Monday night, they looked like they were cruising to a well-lived Game 1, but then the shots went frigid and the Celtics blew a 20-point lead to the Knicks, eventually falling in overtime.

The final tally: 15 made 3-pointers in 60 attempts. They shot just 3-for-18 from deep across the fourth quarter and overtime.

In other words, Boston missed 45 3-pointers.

That's an NBA Playoffs record. 

It nearly ties the regular season record of 47 held by the Rockets (who also hold second place with a 46 miss game from beyond the arc).

A look at the heavy shooters explains it:

• Jayson Tatum 4-for-15 from 3
• Jaylen Brown 1-for-10 from 3
• Jrue Holiday 2-for-7 from 3
• Derrick White 5-for-16 from 3
• Payton Pritchard 2-for-5 from 3
• Al Horford 1-for-5 from 3
• Sam Hauser 0-for-2 from 3

Whew, that's tough.

MORE: Draymond Green speaks on Rudy Gobert beef ahead of playoff series

All the Celtics needed was for one guy to be a little hot and even the blown lead would've just held on.

But all those misses were just enough to keep the Knicks around and lead to Game 1 disaster.

Boston rode its outside shooting to a banner last season. They very well might do that again.

But in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Boston made a quarter of its shots from beyond the arc, and that wasn't enough.

MORE: Jimmy Butler's return to Minnesota recalls infamous practice story