NBA Announces Big Update to Celtics-Knicks Playoff Series

The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks are getting ready to begin their second-round playoff series. Boston holds home-court advantage in this series, so Game 1 will be played at the TD Garden.

Ahead of the start of the series, the NBA has announced a major update on the matchup. The league has announced the start times for Game 3 and Game 4 in New York.

Game 3 will now be played at 3:30 p.m. ET, while Game 4 will be played at 7:30 p.m. ET. Both games will take place at Madison Square Garden, giving the Knicks fans a chance to see this series at home.

#Knicks #Celtics G3 will be at 3:30PM in New York on Saturday.

5/12 Game 4 7:30PM
5/14 Game 5 TBD in Boston
5/16 Game 6 8PM in NYC
5/19 Game 7 8PM in Boston

— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) May 5, 2025

The Celtics were able to sweep the four-game regular season series with the Knicks, giving many people worry about now New York will be able to perform. But the Celtics also understand that this is a brand-new matchup, and the playoffs are a completely different beast.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla weighed in on the upcoming matchup against the Knicks. Mazzulla understands that New York can present some problems, and that the Celtics will need to stay the course in order to advance past them.

"Great coach, great depth, great team," Mazzulla raved of New York. "You see what they've been able to do over the course of the season and in the playoffs thus far with their two guys, but also the way the others are able to impact the game. It'll be a physical series, it'll come down to the margins."

"...you have to be able to defend without fouling, rebound, taking care of the ball, execute and be able to get to different stuff defensively because of their ability to put pressure on the rim and get great shots."

Even with them being favored, the Celtics may have their hands full in this series with the Knicks. New York has a star-studded starting five, and they will be out to prove themselves against Boston.