A rivalry will be renewed as the 2nd seed Boston Celtics are set to take on the 3rd seed New York Knicks in the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
The defending NBA Champion Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic in 5 games in the first round. The Knicks are coming off a hard-fought 6-game series against the Detroit Pistons.
This will be the 16th time Boston and New York meet in the postseason. Their last meeting was in the first round of the 2013 playoffs, which New York won in 6 games.
Boston dominated the regular season series against New York, winning all 4 games. Three of those games were decided by double digits. The closest game ended in a 2-point victory for Boston in overtime.
The Celtics continue their quest for their 19th NBA Championship and their second in a row.
Jayson Tatum has been on a mission to silence the critics in these playoffs. He averaged 31.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists against Orlando in the first round.
Tatum averaged 33.5 points, 7 assists and 6.8 rebounds against New York in the regular season, He will need to continue his dominance against the Knicks to propel Boston to the Eastern Conference Finals.
If Tatum goes cold, Boston still has insurance with Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White. The Celtics also have the 2024-25 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Payton Prichard to provide them with firepower off the bench.
Jrue Holiday’s status is still up in the air before the first game of the series. Holiday is a crucial part of Boston’s defense and his absence may be costly for the Celtics. He missed the last 3 games against Orlando with a hamstring strain.
New York enters this series following a scare against Detroit in the first round.
Jalen Brunson hit a huge 3-pointer in the closing moments of Game 6 to send the Knicks to the second round. Brunson has been the engine for New York all season. He averaged 31.5 points, 8.2 assists and 4 rebounds against the Pistons.
The Knicks will need Brunson to continue playing at a high level if they want a chance against the defending champions, especially in Holiday’s possible absence. Brunson averaged 26.8 points and 5.3 assists against Boston this season.
New York will need more from Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges this series, as they have all struggled against Boston this season.
In his last two games against Boston, Towns averaged just 10.5 points.
Anunoby and Bridges averaged 9 points and 13.8 points, respectively. They will also have the responsibility of guarding Tatum and Brown, which will be no easy task.
Boston has dominated New York all season and it won’t be any different in this series
New York barely scraped by an inexperienced Detroit team. Any mistakes they were able to get away with against Detroit will not fly against Boston.
Brunson will have to carry the load for New York offensively as the consistency of Towns, Anunoby and Bridges is questionable.
Though Boston’s backcourt is banged up at the moment, the Celtics have always found ways to win through experience and their defense. Boston will be too much for New York to overcome.
Tatum will continue his impressive playoff run to help the Celtics reach the Eastern Conference Finals yet again.
Prediction: Celtics in 5.
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