THIS IS WHAT WE WANTED
The Eastern Conference Semi-Finals are where the New York Knicks season ended the last two years. The Miami Heat beat them in 6 games in 2022-23, and the Indiana Pacers in 7 games in 2023-24. Both times, the Boston Celtics were waiting in the conference finals. Thanks to the Cleveland Cavaliers 64-win season, this match up comes a round early, but it is exactly what Knicks fans have been wanting for three years.
Now, everyone realizes why the 61-win Celtics are the favorites, and everyone realizes that the Knicks are facing tough odds to get past the defending NBA Champions. The Celtics have won 10 of their last 12 playoff series and swept the Knicks in all 4 games they played during the regular season. Still, Knicks vs. Celtics is special.
For the Knicks starting five, completed with the acquisition of Mikal Bridges in July and Karl-Anthony Towns in October, this is their first playoff run together, and this series is a measuring stick. Upset the Celtics and they are immediate title contenders. Lose in a competitive fashion, management probably keeps them together and adds reinforcements to the bench. Lose and look overmatched? Well, that’s a story for another day but get ready for the Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and LeBron James rumors.
Knicks vs. Celtics. This is what everyone wanted.
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LET’S MOVE THE BALL
The aforementioned New York Knicks starting five are an unselfish group in the way they play, the way they root for each other on the bench and the way they compliment each other through the media. Even when the ball gets “stuck” with Jalen Brunson, no one would ever accuse him, especially after signing the contract he did last off-season, of being selfish. However, a key storyline during the first round series against the Detroit Pistons was how much better the Knicks are when ball moves.
Against the Pistons the Knicks averaged only 19.83 assists per game after averaging 27.5 assists per game in the regular season. For context, that ranked 15th out of the 16 teams playing in the first round, after finishing the regular season ranked 11th out of the 30 teams. For further context, in the regular season the Knicks were a .500 team in the 54 games they were held to 29 or less assists (27-27). On the flip side, they played at an .857 clip in the 28 games in which they had 30 or more assists (24-4).
With the game on the line, everyone wants the ball “stuck” in Brunson’s hands. But to win this series, Brunson is going to have to keep the ball moving.
DEUCE OFF THE BENCH
In the off-season, Knicks President & General Manager Leon Rose will be out to fortify the bench and find the next Donte DiVincenzo or Immanuel Quickley. In the meantime, the Knicks Head Coach Tom Thibodeau needs to find a way to get Miles McBride untracked against the Celtics.
During the regular season McBride averaged:
- 24.9 minutes
- 9.5 points
- 2.9 assists
- 1.0 steals
In the playoffs he’s averaging:
- 16.0 minutes
- 3.8 points
- 1.0 assists
- 0.3 steals
McBride doesn’t need to be a hero against the Celtics. He doesn’t need to be “The Big Ragu” or “IQ” – he just needs to be “Deuce”.
ALL ABOUT THE WINGS
The Celtics’ wings Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are playing together in the playoffs for the 8th consecutive year. The duo averaged 58.3 points per game in the Celtics first round win over the Orlando Magic.
The Knicks primary scoring comes from Brunson and Towns, who averaged 51.2 points per game in round one against the Pistons. While OG Anunoby and Bridges can hold their own on the offensive end (33.5 points per game in round one), the primary reason the Knicks spent big to acquire the two wings was because of their defensive abilities.
The Knicks can’t expect their wings to win the plus/minus battle vs Brown/Tatum, but if they keep it close, it will give the Knicks an opportunity to pull off the upset.
PREDICTION
I remain bullish on the Knicks starting five, and believe they have the ability, with the right amount of bench support, to win a championship. However, at this stage in their development, they rely too heavily on individual efforts. They have consistently struggled to play as a cohesive unit for more than a few short spurts at a time. Despite this, they’ve won 51 games and are in the second-round of the NBA Playoffs.
Chemistry is a key factor in building a championship team and normally takes time to develop. Therefore, I remain convinced that they will be a much better team next season.
In the meantime, can they pull off the upset? They have a chance if they elevate defensively, and get back to their regular season form in terms of playmaking and bench scoring.
Celtics in 6
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