2025 NBA PLAYOFFS East Semifinals: #2 Boston Celtics vs #3 New York Knicks (NYK leads 1-0)

[Zman80000]

I won't let my expectations interfere with my hopes. Let's go Knicks!

If you expect to lose, you can't be disappointed.
You can only be pleasantly surprised.

[NoStatsGuy]

Welp, this the series that Knicks fans wanted last season in the ECF, we'll see how it plays out.

we had a completely different team last year. last years knicks werent soft at all. i told everybody thats what we gon get with the minnesota trade. donte and randle were rough riders, KAT and mikal are goofballs.

we have more talent now but at what cost? i still believe the detroit series shouldnt be why people are so down on the knicks. detroit made it a bar fight the first 4 games and they have a very very solid defense. they were top 5 or so post all star break? going 6 vs detroit is nothing to be ashamed of.

i actually like that people have so low expectations now and call it a "2nd round bye", the knicks can show and prove what they are made of in this series.

To me, Isaiah Hartenstein is the huge loss. I feel much better playing NYK without him.

Yea, you are correct. how could i forget him? he was a huge part of the team, especially when it comes to a physical presence around the rim

[Wolfgang630]

I love the Knicks, but I have to be realistic. I got Celtics in 6

[LFGK]

Welp, this the series that Knicks fans wanted last season in the ECF, we'll see how it plays out.

we had a completely different team last year. last years knicks werent soft at all. i told everybody thats what we gon get with the minnesota trade. donte and randle were rough riders, KAT and mikal are goofballs.

we have more talent now but at what cost? i still believe the detroit series shouldnt be why people are so down on the knicks. detroit made it a bar fight the first 4 games and they have a very very solid defense. they were top 5 or so post all star break? going 6 vs detroit is nothing to be ashamed of.

i actually like that people have so low expectations now and call it a "2nd round bye", the knicks can show and prove what they are made of in this series.

To me, Isaiah Hartenstein is the huge loss. I feel much better playing NYK without him.

he was awful defensively last year in the playoffs.

[Jadoogar]

If i knew that Tatum, Brown and Holiday were healthy, i would have gone Celtics in 4.
I'll give Brunson and KAT one game.

[Lakers In 5]

I had Boston in 5 on my board prior to the playoffs, I see no reason to change that prediction. If anything it should be changed to a sweep, considering the way New York performed against Detroit, but Brunson can take one of those games in MSG. Ultimately, the Celtics will cruise into the Conference Finals rather easy and unscathed.

[Gant]

NBA Stat‬:

The Knicks play the Celtics in the second round.

Here are the 5 most efficient halfcourt offenses vs. the Knicks during the regular season:

(via S. Young)



https://bsky.app/profile/nbastat.bsky.social/post/3lo5sql7oas2i

[cgf]

Welp, this the series that Knicks fans wanted last season in the ECF, we'll see how it plays out.

we had a completely different team last year. last years knicks werent soft at all. i told everybody thats what we gon get with the minnesota trade. donte and randle were rough riders, KAT and mikal are goofballs.

we have more talent now but at what cost? i still believe the detroit series shouldnt be why people are so down on the knicks. detroit made it a bar fight the first 4 games and they have a very very solid defense. they were top 5 or so post all star break? going 6 vs detroit is nothing to be ashamed of.

i actually like that people have so low expectations now and call it a "2nd round bye", the knicks can show and prove what they are made of in this series.

To me, Isaiah Hartenstein is the huge loss. I feel much better playing NYK without him.

FWIW Mitch was a lot better when healthy, unfortunately he's about as durable as KP. iHart had a really rough postseason for us...embiid just abused him until Mitch locked Joel up, and turner went off.

Sucks not having 48 minutes of high level rim protection anymore though...OG is so much more disruptive when he doesn't also need to be our last line of defense. Which is why I'd really love to snag a quality backup C in the mold of Bitadze or Kessler this summer so we could roll with Brunson - Bridge - Anunoby - Towns - Robinson as our starting 5 next year.

Wildcard in all this is how shockingly well Towns defended late in games against Detroit. If he can repeat that against the Celtics, this could be an entirely different series.

[Capn'O]

Is it guaranteed that there'll be a fight? How many will actually fight? How many will talk trash for 48 minutes? Will there be people sent to the hospital?

Maybe 10% chance?
Probably None
100% of the people
No

[Capn'O]

Question for our American friends in Boston and in New York; say it's a crucial Game 7: Knicks vs Celtics this series and some of you are invited in a bar (let's say a larger bar/venue that can house maybe 250-300 people.)

Half Knicks fans and half Celtics fans. (And let's assume those people as the average/above average (not casuals) passionate fans of those teams)

Is it guaranteed that there'll be a fight? How many will actually fight? How many will talk trash for 48 minutes? Will there be people sent to the hospital?

(i really just want to know how much you hate each other. )

We don't hate the Knicks. We own them

I'll fight you.

[Capn'O]

Welp, this the series that Knicks fans wanted last season in the ECF, we'll see how it plays out.

we had a completely different team last year. last years knicks werent soft at all. i told everybody thats what we gon get with the minnesota trade. donte and randle were rough riders, KAT and mikal are goofballs.

we have more talent now but at what cost? i still believe the detroit series shouldnt be why people are so down on the knicks. detroit made it a bar fight the first 4 games and they have a very very solid defense. they were top 5 or so post all star break? going 6 vs detroit is nothing to be ashamed of.

i actually like that people have so low expectations now and call it a "2nd round bye", the knicks can show and prove what they are made of in this series.

To me, Isaiah Hartenstein is the huge loss. I feel much better playing NYK without him.

Yes.

By all metrics he was our second most impactful player and a perfect fit with Thibs schemes on both ends. We didn't replace him and this team doesn't really fit Thibs as well. Still a work in progress to really challenge.

If we didn't lose all our guys to injury, last year could have been a fun series. I wouldn't have favored us there but maybe punchers chance. This year... our talent may help us take a few but I don't see it and it might even be a blowout.

[bisme37]

So it's weird because the Knicks seem to have specifically created a team that matches up with the Celtics, but in actual games between the teams it's looked like the opposite. They have defensive wings who are supposed to stop Tatum, but this...

Read on Twitter

Then the bigger issue is the Celtics are the most prolific 3 pt shooting team of all time, and the Knicks team defense is worst in the league at guarding the 3pt line. (Which, if you've created a roster to beat the Celtics, why would you then play a defense that allows them to do the thing they want to do?) And Thib's drop coverage hasn't worked at all, though I suppose they could change some of that up.

I dunno man. I think the Knicks are a better and more talented team than the Orlando squad we just beat, but I also feel like it's going to be a lot easier to score in this series. So I'm having trouble getting very worried about the whole thing.

[Chuck Everett]

Celtics in 6, however, how is Jrue Holiday's hamstring? I'm actually intrigued to watch crunch time action. I also wonder if Thibs is going to give Precious Achiuwa any run at all? I think they may need him in this series to give at least 5-7 minutes a game. Not sure if Towns will be able to avoid foul trouble against Boston otherwise.

If Thibs runs 5 guys 40+ minutes every game, the Knicks might get swept. Period.

[Karate Diop]

This will be the most unbearable series of the playoffs by far, and not even because of the on the court play

[NY2k1]

Welp, this the series that Knicks fans wanted last season in the ECF, we'll see how it plays out.

we had a completely different team last year. last years knicks werent soft at all. i told everybody thats what we gon get with the minnesota trade. donte and randle were rough riders, KAT and mikal are goofballs.

we have more talent now but at what cost? i still believe the detroit series shouldnt be why people are so down on the knicks. detroit made it a bar fight the first 4 games and they have a very very solid defense. they were top 5 or so post all star break? going 6 vs detroit is nothing to be ashamed of.

i actually like that people have so low expectations now and call it a "2nd round bye", the knicks can show and prove what they are made of in this series.

To me, Isaiah Hartenstein is the huge loss. I feel much better playing NYK without him.

Yep. Unfortunately, the dumb bird rights rule screwed us with Hartenstein.

[Ito]

knicks in 6 or celtics in 7 but this a series knicks definitely should even win

[littlerock2277]

Im rooting for the knicks, I don’t want to be hearing Tatum and his corny lines “We did it!!” If they win another championship.

Knicks in 6.

[LegendOfSalmons]

Easy work. Celtics in 5 or 6 max.

[LegendOfSalmons]

Im rooting for the knicks, I don’t want to be hearing Tatum and his corny lines “We did it!!” If they win another championship.

Knicks in 6.

Possibly the worst delivered line line after a championship in NBA history. You can tell he planned it out but dude has the charisma of a cardboard.

[cgf]

So it's weird because the Knicks seem to have specifically created a team that matches up with the Celtics, but in actual games between the teams it's looked like the opposite. They have defensive wings that are supposed to stop Tatum, but this...

Read on Twitter

Then the bigger issue is the Celtics are the most prolific 3 pt shooting team of all time, and the Knicks team defense is worst in the league at guarding the 3pt line. (Which, if you've created a roster to beat the Celtics, why would you then play a defense that allows them to do the thing they want to do?) And Thib's drop coverage hasn't worked at all, though I suppose they could change some of that up.

I dunno man. I think the Knicks are a better and more talented team than the Orlando squad we just beat, but I also feel like it's going to be a lot easier to score in this series. So I'm having trouble getting very worried about the whole thing.

FWIW I don't think we put too much effort into making sure that OG stuck to Tatum until that last game...when Tatum still hit that amazing shot to tie it & played well, but OG forced him into hitting tough shots, and OG has upped his defense another level since the playoffs started. Plus with Robinson back, our wings haven't had to cheat in towards the paint as much, which has helped our perimeter D, and the extra rest has helped us maintain our effort level.

You blew us out the first two times, so I probably wouldn't be too worried in your shoes either, but I think this series will look more like the third game before we gassed or the 4th game between us, than those first two. You'll probably have at least one night where you just blow the doors off us...unless you suddenly go ice cold for a series for no good reason like you did against Miami...but I think most games will be close in the fourth quarter.