The New York Knicks and Boston Celtics will begin their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup on Monday, May 5. Both teams will enter the contest having enjoyed multiple days to prepare for what projects as a gruelling series.
During a May 3 news conference, Kristaps Porzingis, a former Knick and now Celtics champion, was asked about the pressure heading into the series. The versatile big man warned that the Celtics are coming into the series with more to lose than New York. Porzingis pointed at Boston’s 2024 championship as proof that the Celtics will be under more pressure to succeed.
“It goes back to experience,” Porzingis said. “The experience and versatility of our team. So many guys that can step up…It’s a big advantage that we have. Not many teams have this type of talent…I believe we’re going to be the favorites and betting odds, right? So if anything, it’s us who have more to lose because we’re supposed to win.”
While Porzignis’ comments are fair, they could also be construed as a clear message to the Knicks. By saying that Boston is under more pressure, Porzingis is automatically citing the Knicks as the underdog. New York lost all four of its regular-season encounters with the Celtics during the 2024-25 campaign.
Knicks’ Head Coach is Already Planning for Boston
When speaking to the media on Thursday, Tom Thibodeau discussed his desire for the Knicks to get straight to work on preparing for Boston.
“Obviously, I haven’t really dug into that yet,” Thibodeau said. “I watched some of the playoff games. Obviously, we’ll be doing a lot of work in the next couple of days, with our assistants and our advanced guys, who have been working on it for a long time. We have to get our team in. We have some days for recovery and preparation. They’re the defending champions, so we’re going to have to be at our best.”
The Knicks have been built to contend with the Celtics. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are elite wing defenders. Jalen Brunson is the kind of scoring guard the Celtics often struggled with. And, Karl-Anthony Towns allows New York to match the floor spacing Porzingis brings to the table.
Brunson’s Play Style is a Concern
According to a Western Conference scout, who was speaking to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Brunson’s ball-dominant and isolation-heavy brand of basketball could wind up hurting the Knicks.
“Jalen’s foul hunting and holding the ball has really caught up with them,” The West scout said. “There’s only so much you can do. That’s a recipe to win a lot of regular-season games, but it’s a huge load to carry on a nightly basis for playoff-heavy minutes when defenses have adjusted and loaded up. KAT and [OG Anunoby] have to play a role, and it’s hard when [Brunson] has the ball in his hands so much of the time.”
Boston will look to exploit any crack in the Knicks’ approach. If Brunson’s ball-dominance allows the Celtics to stay home on floor spacing shooters, then Thibodeau’s team could see their pace grind to a halt. New York must get creative if it wants to make an impact in the upcoming series.
Nevertheless, both teams will have hopes of making the Conference Finals. As such, we should gear up for what will likely be a highly competitive and physically charged series.
