The Boston Celtics' pursuit of a second NBA championship could ultimately evaporate if they do not beat the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals Monday night. They effortlessly withstood the rowdy environment in Madison Square Garden on Saturday, pummeling the home team, 115-93, to avoid going down 3-0 in the series. If the C's hope to tie things up at two games apiece, they must contain Jalen Brunson.

The star guard has lived up to his Clutch Player of the Year accolade throughout these playoffs, pushing the Knicks past the Pistons and helping them put together two 20-point comebacks in Boston. He enters another level in the fourth quarter, but if the Celtics can wear him down over the course of the evening, perhaps they can keep him quiet during crunch time.

Veteran point guard Jrue Holiday believes there is one specific aspect of Brunson's game that he and the team must continue to limit moving forward.

“Try not to foul him,” the two-time champ said, via ClutchPoints. “Know that he lives at the free-throw line and does a great job of drawing fouls… And then show him multiple bodies. It's a team effort. Everybody's kind of had a chance to guard him here and there and done a good job. Sometimes, {like in} those first two games in the fourth, he does what he does, but I think we've been taking care of it as good as possible.”

Many Knicks fans are taking issue with the “lives at the free-throw line” part of the comment, accusing Holiday of reducing Brunson's contributions to what the kids call a “free throw merchant.” Obviously, the two-time All-Star is an offensive force who can cause damage in multiple ways on the court. The Celtics surely know that based on the defensive pressure they have thrown at him. Holiday's overall point stands, though. Boston's chances for success should increase if Brunson is off the charity stripe.

The 28-year-old ranked eighth in free throws made and attempted during the 2024-25 campaign, posting an 82.1 percentage. He averaged five attempts through the first three contests of this semis showdown, which is slightly below the 5.7 he posted in the regular season and well below the 7.3 he logged versus the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs.

Beyond restricting Brunson's access to the free-throw line, Boston is holding him to 38.1 percent shooting from the field. Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby both stepped up in New York's wins, but with Karl-Anthony Towns dealing with a hand injury, Jalen Brunson will have to carry a large share of the offense if the Knicks are going to advance to the conference finals.

Jrue Holiday, a three-time All-Defensive First-Team selection, has the skills and experience to hinder the 2024 All-NBA Second-Teamer in this upcoming Game 4 clash. A matchup like this is precisely why president of basketball operations Brad Stevens traded for him in October of 2023. He has been the missing piece on two title-winning squads in his career and is intent on collecting another ring this year.

Like Holiday said, though, it will take a collective effort to suppress Brunson in what could be the defining game of the season for both franchises. The action tips off at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET.