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

[Ssj16]

OKC are beatable, and we should be favored over any of the others. The west's top 4 just isn't as good as the east's this year.

I'll give you credit that the Knicks are better than expected but this "top of the east" is better than "the top of west" is even more flawed if you consider the top 2 teams in the east are getting smoked.

It's never been about the records, it's about the actual quality of the teams and who the best players are. The West still contains the higher end players as well as higher calibre teams based on past experience.

Minnesota is a proven team from last year's playoffs plus OKC or Denver are both high end teams.

Indy is a good team but they had injury luck 2 years running now and this would be NYC's first time in the ECF after decades.

If both of the top teams in the east are getting smoked, maybe give credit to the teams that are doing it are quality teams themselves.

It's still way too early to declare who's going to be in the ECF, but if the top two teams are out, maybe the gap isn't so big between these teams after all.

Again, who had the Knicks after four games up 3-1 against Boston? Same with Indiana? Be honest.

When the Knicks faced the Pistons in the first round, people were saying that if they're struggling against them, then they have NO chance against the top teams. I say, maybe they were that good and they deserve some credit.

Frankly, it's showing that the East is better then we thought.

The east is better than we thought but how does that make it better than the West.

1 through 8 there is more competition in the West.

If we assume the conference finals will be Indy, NYC, Minny, OKC or Denver, how do we jump to the conclusion that the East is better than the West?

My only point is if we're basing it on MVP caliber players, the West conference will have that. (Jokic, SGA)

If we're basing it on Championship experience, there is a potential for the West to have that. (Denver)

If we're basing it on legit conference finals experience the west has that (as mentioned Indy got lucky due to injuries) (Denver, Minny)

If we're basing it off regular season dominance, the West has this (OKC).

This poster has claimed the top of the East has been stronger and my claim is that the West is the just the stronger conference period.

But his claim that the top of the east is stronger even looks like a bad take right now if the 2 top teams in east are getting smoked.

[PushDaRock]

lol 4 years at 134m is a pretty good reason to keep playing I would say

yes but the reports were still out there and once a player contemplates retirement it usually means they have one foot out the door. It was a really stupid extension by golden boy Brad Stevens. That will be among the worst contracts in the league after next season and he'll have two more years left. The dude just put up 4/4/3 with awful defense in a must win game. 16/6/3 in a game 1 close loss. 10/3/5 and an absolutely brutal last defensive possession in the close Game 2 loss. He's just not very good any longer and it killed them this series. You should expect way more out of someone making $30 million.

I wonder if the masses will see that Jrue was not going to be the savior for the Bucks. Jrue avoids criticism because he's a nice guy and most people like him but I feel that people were starting to severely overrate him when stating that he's more impactful than Dame. He's amazing was the third/fourth option on a stacked team but now he is cheeks and the Bucks were also doomed if they tried to build around a core of Giannis and Jrue so I give them credit for going for a hail mary in the Dame trade, even though we haven't seen it at full effect in the playoffs due to injuries.

He's 35 next month, father time is undefeated and you can turn old overnight sometimes.

[omerome]

The east is better than we thought but how does that make it better than the West.

1 through 8 there is more competition in the West.

If we assume the conference finals will be Indy, NYC, Minny, OKC or Denver, how do we jump to the conclusion that the East is better than the West?

My only point is if we're basing it on MVP caliber players, the West conference will have that. (Jokic, SGA)

If we're basing it on Championship experience, there is a potential for the West to have that. (Denver)

If we're basing it on legit conference finals experience the west has that (as mentioned Indy got lucky due to injuries) (Denver, Minny)

If we're basing it off regular season dominance, the West has this (OKC).

This poster has claimed the top of the East has been stronger and my claim is that the West is the just the stronger conference period.

But his claim that the top of the east is stronger even looks like a bad take right now if the 2 top teams in east are getting smoked.

The east had two teams that won 60+ games with insane efficiency this season because they are great teams. If those teams end up losing in the second round, it does show that despite their elite play, their opponents while not being as efficient, or as talented, are overall very good teams themselves.

Now am I saying that the East is as strong as the West? No. But you can't overlook what is happening here. When this season ended, did any of us having the Celtics AND the Cavs on the brink of elimination right now? It's still early, and anything can happen, but I know I would be lying if I said yes.

[bronxknicksfan1]

I'll give you credit that the Knicks are better than expected but this "top of the east" is better than "the top of west" is even more flawed if you consider the top 2 teams in the east are getting smoked.

It's never been about the records, it's about the actual quality of the teams and who the best players are. The West still contains the higher end players as well as higher calibre teams based on past experience.

Minnesota is a proven team from last year's playoffs plus OKC or Denver are both high end teams.

Indy is a good team but they had injury luck 2 years running now and this would be NYC's first time in the ECF after decades.

If both of the top teams in the east are getting smoked, maybe give credit to the teams that are doing it are quality teams themselves.

It's still way too early to declare who's going to be in the ECF, but if the top two teams are out, maybe the gap isn't so big between these teams after all.

Again, who had the Knicks after four games up 3-1 against Boston? Same with Indiana? Be honest.

When the Knicks faced the Pistons in the first round, people were saying that if they're struggling against them, then they have NO chance against the top teams. I say, maybe they were that good and they deserve some credit.

Frankly, it's showing that the East is better then we thought.

The east is better than we thought but how does that make it better than the West.

1 through 8 there is more competition in the West.

If we assume the conference finals will be Indy, NYC, Minny, OKC or Denver, how do we jump to the conclusion that the East is better than the West?

My only point is if we're basing it on MVP caliber players, the West conference will have that. (Jokic, SGA)

If we're basing it on Championship experience, there is a potential for the West to have that. (Denver)

If we're basing it on legit conference finals experience the west has that (as mentioned Indy got lucky due to injuries) (Denver, Minny)

If we're basing it off regular season dominance, the West has this (OKC).

This poster has claimed the top of the East has been stronger and my claim is that the West is the just the stronger conference period.

But his claim that the top of the east is stronger even looks like a bad take right now if the 2 top teams in east are getting smoked.

I mean…the only teams from the top of the West still playing are OKC and Nuggets. The 2 and 3 seeds got knocked out in the 1st round. All the top teams in the East are still playing. You’re just underestimating how good those top teams are.

[dakomish23]

BOS stopped playing team ball 3x this series. 3x they lost those games. It's not sustainable to run your offense with their ISO step back 3PT chuck fest with that much time left in the game. I called it when I saw it happening. Yeah Tatum made some of them. He also missed a bunch and every attempt is chipping away at the team flow and momentum when you do.

I criticize Thibs all the time for going to the save me Brunson offense way too early in games. It almost cost the Knicks a couple of Ws these playoffs (if not for some insane shot making by other players with the clock winding down).

Run your offense. Get everyone involved. You will be a 100x better for it.

If BOS does that, I expect them to show up big time in game 5. Even without Tatum they're clearly at least the 4th best team in the East IMO. This series ain't over just yet.

[RHODEY]

Like us, Minnesota has been as good as they've had to be. I think a Knicks-Wolves series would be dynamite.

I think Minny would get Blown off the court versus the Celtics. They aint like us.

I think we’re the best tier two team and have been all season…Brunson is an even more lethal killer than Ant or Hali, wingstop are even badder dudes than Nembhard & Nesmith or McDaniels & NAW, and we had the best offense of this troika.

…but I’ve been telling people about the Pacers & Wolves all season as well as us, because those teams are both really good and both of them punch up really well.

I’d favor us over both of them but wouldn’t be surprised at all if they upset us the same way I wasn’t surprised that the Knicks & Pacers gave the Celtics & Cavs all they could handle and J won’t be surprised when the wolves raise their game to outplay the thunder.

Maybe we were Tier 2 but now? Tier 2 teams dont beat Teir 1 teams like the Champs without home court advantage. And..Its not luck...Knicks are Tier1.

[omerome]

I think Minny would get Blown off the court versus the Celtics. They aint like us.

I think we’re the best tier two team and have been all season…Brunson is an even more lethal killer than Ant or Hali, wingstop are even badder dudes than Nembhard & Nesmith or McDaniels & NAW, and we had the best offense of this troika.

…but I’ve been telling people about the Pacers & Wolves all season as well as us, because those teams are both really good and both of them punch up really well.

I’d favor us over both of them but wouldn’t be surprised at all if they upset us the same way I wasn’t surprised that the Knicks & Pacers gave the Celtics & Cavs all they could handle and J won’t be surprised when the wolves raise their game to outplay the thunder.

Maybe we were Tier 2 but now? Tier 2 teams dont beat Teir 1 teams like the Champs without home court advantage. And..Its not luck...Knicks are Tier1.

For sure and it would be hard to argue otherwise. Great teams beat great teams. That's what the playoffs are about.

If Knicks finish off this series on Wednesday, they would be literally undefeated on the road in the playoffs - while still having home court advantage in the ECF. That sounds like like a great team to me.

[cgf]

I think Minny would get Blown off the court versus the Celtics. They aint like us.

I think we’re the best tier two team and have been all season…Brunson is an even more lethal killer than Ant or Hali, wingstop are even badder dudes than Nembhard & Nesmith or McDaniels & NAW, and we had the best offense of this troika.

…but I’ve been telling people about the Pacers & Wolves all season as well as us, because those teams are both really good and both of them punch up really well.

I’d favor us over both of them but wouldn’t be surprised at all if they upset us the same way I wasn’t surprised that the Knicks & Pacers gave the Celtics & Cavs all they could handle and J won’t be surprised when the wolves raise their game to outplay the thunder.

Maybe we were Tier 2 but now? Tier 2 teams dont beat Teir 1 teams like the Champs without home court advantage. And..Its not luck...Knicks are Tier1.

I disagree completely. Tier two teams beat tier one teams in tournament settings, all the time. It’s the classic form vs class debate, and form trumps class way too often to pretend that results are only decided by class.

That’s the difference between tier two and tier three teams for me. Tier 3 teams can be really good but they don’t have that level to just outplay the tier 1 teams, tier 2 teams do.

[cgf]

I think we’re the best tier two team and have been all season…Brunson is an even more lethal killer than Ant or Hali, wingstop are even badder dudes than Nembhard & Nesmith or McDaniels & NAW, and we had the best offense of this troika.

…but I’ve been telling people about the Pacers & Wolves all season as well as us, because those teams are both really good and both of them punch up really well.

I’d favor us over both of them but wouldn’t be surprised at all if they upset us the same way I wasn’t surprised that the Knicks & Pacers gave the Celtics & Cavs all they could handle and J won’t be surprised when the wolves raise their game to outplay the thunder.

Maybe we were Tier 2 but now? Tier 2 teams dont beat Teir 1 teams like the Champs without home court advantage. And..Its not luck...Knicks are Tier1.

For sure and it would be hard to argue otherwise. Great teams beat great teams. That's what the playoffs are about.

If Knicks finish off this series on Wednesday, they would be literally undefeated on the road in the playoffs - while still having home court advantage in the ECF. That sounds like like a great team to me.

See I think tier 2 teams can be great teams and epic champions. They aren’t consistently at that level, like the tier 1 teams, but their A-game is at that level when they tap into it.

I think we’re a great team who can go toe to toe with anyone when we play our best and have our top 7 healthy…but we haven’t consistently played at that level like OKC / BOS / CLE did in the regular season.

[cgf]

yes but the reports were still out there and once a player contemplates retirement it usually means they have one foot out the door. It was a really stupid extension by golden boy Brad Stevens. That will be among the worst contracts in the league after next season and he'll have two more years left. The dude just put up 4/4/3 with awful defense in a must win game. 16/6/3 in a game 1 close loss. 10/3/5 and an absolutely brutal last defensive possession in the close Game 2 loss. He's just not very good any longer and it killed them this series. You should expect way more out of someone making $30 million.

I wonder if the masses will see that Jrue was not going to be the savior for the Bucks. Jrue avoids criticism because he's a nice guy and most people like him but I feel that people were starting to severely overrate him when stating that he's more impactful than Dame. He's amazing was the third/fourth option on a stacked team but now he is cheeks and the Bucks were also doomed if they tried to build around a core of Giannis and Jrue so I give them credit for going for a hail mary in the Dame trade, even though we haven't seen it at full effect in the playoffs due to injuries.

He's 35 next month, father time is undefeated and you can turn old overnight sometimes.

Was time going to stop if he stayed in Milwaukee? Wouldn’t he have deteriorated for the bucks the same way he has for the Celtics? If so, isn’t that the point?

[PushDaRock]

I wonder if the masses will see that Jrue was not going to be the savior for the Bucks. Jrue avoids criticism because he's a nice guy and most people like him but I feel that people were starting to severely overrate him when stating that he's more impactful than Dame. He's amazing was the third/fourth option on a stacked team but now he is cheeks and the Bucks were also doomed if they tried to build around a core of Giannis and Jrue so I give them credit for going for a hail mary in the Dame trade, even though we haven't seen it at full effect in the playoffs due to injuries.

He's 35 next month, father time is undefeated and you can turn old overnight sometimes.

Was time going to stop if he stayed in Milwaukee? Wouldn’t he have deteriorated for the bucks the same way he has for the Celtics? If so, isn’t that the point?

Likely but his cap hit number isn't going to completely handicap your team the way Dame's does.

[cgf]

He's 35 next month, father time is undefeated and you can turn old overnight sometimes.

Was time going to stop if he stayed in Milwaukee? Wouldn’t he have deteriorated for the bucks the same way he has for the Celtics? If so, isn’t that the point?

Likely but his cap hit number isn't going to completely handicap your team the way Dame's does.

For sure, I think that poster’s point was just that keeping Jrue and running it back wasn’t a solution either. So whether moving him for dame was the right move or not, keeping him would’ve been the wrong move.

[Capn'O]

Is Payton Pritchard just the worst player for both teams. His defense is just painful to watch. No wonder why Brunson loves this series.

The runs and leads the Knicks are able to get every time Pritchard is on the floor is just amazing.

I mean, he absolutely murdered us in G3 and we adjusted to make him a liability. His timely shooting in that game blocked any chance the Knicks had of making another miracle run. It's just how series go. One team finds an advantage and the other team has to shut it down and reverse it if possible.

[Capn'O]

Anything official yet on JT?

[ITYSL]

Congrats on that win last night, Knicks fans! That was such an awesome game - well, except for the Tatum injury. That sucked. But the Knicks have really shown a ton of never-quit this series. I can lament the Celtics' blowing double-digit leads in all their losses all I want, but the truth is that the Knicks deserve all the credit. Congrats!

[RHODEY]

Maybe we were Tier 2 but now? Tier 2 teams dont beat Teir 1 teams like the Champs without home court advantage. And..Its not luck...Knicks are Tier1.

For sure and it would be hard to argue otherwise. Great teams beat great teams. That's what the playoffs are about.

If Knicks finish off this series on Wednesday, they would be literally undefeated on the road in the playoffs - while still having home court advantage in the ECF. That sounds like like a great team to me.

See I think tier 2 teams can be great teams and epic champions. They aren’t consistently at that level, like the tier 1 teams, but their A-game is at that level when they tap into it.

I think we’re a great team who can go toe to toe with anyone when we play our best and have our top 7 healthy…but we haven’t consistently played at that level like OKC / BOS / CLE did in the regular season.

A sign of a great team (or player) is one that plays great when it matters the most. This is why the 2011 Dallas Mavericks - a team you might cal Tier 2 based of REGULAR season performances- was in actuality a Tier 1 great team. OKC and CLE have done nothing...CELTs won a ring and the Knicks are beating them.

If the Knicks pull it off they are Tier one.....period.

[RHODEY]

I think we’re the best tier two team and have been all season…Brunson is an even more lethal killer than Ant or Hali, wingstop are even badder dudes than Nembhard & Nesmith or McDaniels & NAW, and we had the best offense of this troika.

…but I’ve been telling people about the Pacers & Wolves all season as well as us, because those teams are both really good and both of them punch up really well.

I’d favor us over both of them but wouldn’t be surprised at all if they upset us the same way I wasn’t surprised that the Knicks & Pacers gave the Celtics & Cavs all they could handle and J won’t be surprised when the wolves raise their game to outplay the thunder.

Maybe we were Tier 2 but now? Tier 2 teams dont beat Teir 1 teams like the Champs without home court advantage. And..Its not luck...Knicks are Tier1.

For sure and it would be hard to argue otherwise. Great teams beat great teams. That's what the playoffs are about.

If Knicks finish off this series on Wednesday, they would be literally undefeated on the road in the playoffs - while still having home court advantage in the ECF. That sounds like like a great team to me.

Yes I agree.

[DaGawd]

celtics and knicks fans getting along in this thread.. tf going on b

[cgf]

For sure and it would be hard to argue otherwise. Great teams beat great teams. That's what the playoffs are about.

If Knicks finish off this series on Wednesday, they would be literally undefeated on the road in the playoffs - while still having home court advantage in the ECF. That sounds like like a great team to me.

See I think tier 2 teams can be great teams and epic champions. They aren’t consistently at that level, like the tier 1 teams, but their A-game is at that level when they tap into it.

I think we’re a great team who can go toe to toe with anyone when we play our best and have our top 7 healthy…but we haven’t consistently played at that level like OKC / BOS / CLE did in the regular season.

A sign of a great team mor player) is one that plays great when it matters the most. This is why the 2011 Dallas Mavericks - a team you might cal Tier 2 based of REGULAR season performances- was in actuality a Tier 1 great team. OKC and CLE have done nothing...CELTs won a ring and the Knicks are beating them.

If the Knicks pull it off they are Tier one.....period.

Agree to disagree. I think you can be a great champion even as a tier two team. We were a tier 1 team when Germany won the World Cup in 74 and 2014, but not 54 & 90. Those years we were tier two teams who came through with our best at the most important times, but there were other teams who were more consistently at that level.

Similar to the giants when Eli beat the undefeated patriots, great team and deserved champions, but not as consistently great as the tier one teams that year. And I think that’s what we saw with those Mavs.

Again I think our disconnect is just a question of form v class. On form we are a tier one team right now, but that’s because we are playing our best at the most important time. Not because this is our level consistently.

[cgf]

celtics and knicks fans getting along in this thread.. tf going on b

Well they do hate Embiid as much as we do…