Baylor Scheierman’s sixth 3-pointer against the New York Knicks on Thursday night brought the entire Boston Celtics bench to its feet. Jordan Walsh did the sharpshooter’s signature thumbs-up celebration, and Luka Garza bunny-hopped with excitement, watching him conquer Madison Square Garden.
Scheierman’s step-back three over Karl-Anthony Towns gave the Celtics a 104-103 lead with 2:19 remaining in the fourth quarter. To re-energize his team, he decided to bring back the celebration he debuted nearly six weeks ago against the Philadelphia 76ers. It sparked a thrilling final few minutes of regulation, but Boston ultimately fell 112-106, losing the regular-season series to New York (1-3).
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The ability to remain prepared to deliver an impact at any moment is something Scheierman takes pride in.
“For me, every time my name’s called, I try to go out there and just play to the best of my ability,” Scheierman told reporters, per CLNS Media. “And that’s really all I can control. Obviously, I’d like to be out there, but at the end of the day, it’s not my decision. So every chance I get, I just try to make the most of it.”
Boston ruled Jaylen Brown out with left Achilles tendinitis hours before tip-off, adding weight on everyone’s shoulders to produce in his absence. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla bumped Walsh up into the starting lineup, while Scheierman played alongside Payton Pritchard and Nikola Vučević in the second rotation. Unconcerned with his role and focused on contributing, Scheierman scored a season-high 20 points — matching a career high he set last season against the Brooklyn Nets.
Scheierman shot a nearly-perfect 6-for-7 from beyond the arc and grabbed four rebounds. Four of those makes were to either go ahead or extend Boston’s lead over New York. Teammates spotted Scheierman’s high motor and eagerness to shoot, so they kept feeding him.
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Derrick White assisted Scheierman to break an 83-83 tie in the fourth quarter, and Pritchard found him again more than seven minutes later to give the Celtics a 101-99 lead. Whenever a teammate attacked the basket, they knew once they looked up, Scheierman would be right there on the perimeter, hands ready, waiting to fire.
Scheierman’s six made 3-pointers also tied a career-high.
“I just have a lot of confidence in myself that I belong on the court, and my teammates trust me,” Scheierman said. “When I’m open, they find me, and I just knock it down.”
Scheierman is among a group of backups unaware when their number will be called. Walsh, Luka Garza, Hugo González, and Ron Harper Jr. are in that same boat. Before games, they’re the first out of the locker room and on the floor, working with the coaching staff by running drills and examining film. Last year, Scheierman logged 23 minutes over four appearances in the playoffs. He didn’t get a chance to do much, going scoreless twice and attempting 10 shots the entire postseason, but that uncertainty doesn’t rattle Scheierman.
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Even though rotations typically shrink once the playoffs begin, Scheierman isn’t concerned about his role. He’s averaged 18 minutes per game, the most among the Walsh, Garza, González, and Harper group, and Mazzulla has followed through on his promise to shake up the rotations when the team needs a jolt. At Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, Scheierman didn’t start, but still delivered his most impactful performance of the season.
It’s hard to imagine Scheierman’s 3-point barrage goes overlooked, especially since the Knicks could cross paths with the Celtics in Round 2. Losing three times in the regular-season series should bolster the confidence in New York’s locker room and motivate Boston.
“I wish we could’ve won at the end of the day,” he said. “Obviously, it was a lot of fun to do that, but we lost, so it kind of just is what it is.”
The Celtics need a win on Friday night over the New Orleans Pelicans to lock in the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. New York delayed that, but if both teams advance out of the first round, a second-round series would send Boston back to Madison Square Garden for a best-of-seven. Scheierman is ready to embrace that challenge.
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“Obviously, every time we face each other, it’s a great environment, a great atmosphere,” Scheierman said, thinking about a possible Celtics-Knicks playoff rematch. “That’s something you grow up wanting to be a part of. So if it happens, I’m sure it’ll be a great series.”
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