Rivalry renewed: Full preview of Celtics-Knicks playoff clash originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
A new chapter in the classic rivalry between Boston and New York will be written over the next two weeks when the Celtics and Knicks clash in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Celtics are the defending champions and eliminated the Orlando Magic in five games in the first round. The Knicks dispatched the Detroit Pistons in six games.
This is the first Celtics-Knicks playoff series since 2013, and it’s the first time they’ve met in the postseason after the first round since 1984, when the Celtics defeated the Knicks in Game 7 of the conference semifinals. Boston is 4-3 all-time in playoff series versus the Knicks.
The Knicks made two blockbuster trades in the offseason to acquire center Karl-Anthony Towns and forward Mikal Bridges. The hope for the Knicks was that those moves would give them a better chance to beat top contenders in the East like the Celtics. But the Knicks went 0-4 against the Celtics in the regular season, and three of those losses were by 13 or more points.
The Knicks had no answers for Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum in those four games. Tatum averaged 33.5 points on 53.5 percent shooting and 47.8 percent from 3-point range. His efficient scoring helped the Celtics put up 125 points per game against the Knicks.
Boston also shot 50 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent on 3-pointers. If the Knicks’ defense doesn’t improve dramatically, this will be a short series.
Will the Celtics continue their dominance over the Knicks and advance to the conference finals for the fourth straight season? Or will the Knicks pull off the upset and get to the conference finals for the first time since 2000?
Check out our full Celtics-Knicks preview below:
Series schedule
- Game 1: Monday, May 5 in Boston
- Game 2: Wednesday, May 7 in Boston
- Game 3: Saturday, May 10 in New York
- Game 4: Monday, May 12 in New York
- Game 5: Wednesday, May 14 in Boston*
- Game 6: Friday, May 16 in New York*
- Game 7: Monday, May 19 in Boston*
- *If necessary
Regular season head-to-head
Oct. 22 at Boston: Celtics 132, Knicks 109
Feb. 8 at New York: Celtics 131, Knicks 104
Feb. 23 at Boston: Celtics 118, Knicks 105
April 8 at New York: 119 Celtics, Knicks 117 (OT)
Celtics vs. Knicks stats comparison
Here’s a breakdown of Boston and New York’s season stats and NBA rankings from the 2024-25 season. The Knicks were a top-10 shooting team percentage-wise but ranked near the bottom of the league in 3-point attempts.
Celtics will win the series if…
Kristaps Porzingis continues to dominate his former team.
Porzingis has been inconsistent in the 2025 playoffs so far. He scored 20 points in Game 2 against the Magic and 19 points in Game 4. But he only chipped in five points in Game 1, seven points in Game 3 and nine points in Game 5. He also pulled down less than 10 rebounds in four of five games versus Orlando.
The Celtics need a lot more from Porzingis, especially as a scorer, to beat the Knicks. Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard struggled to make a consistent impact offensively in Round 1. Jrue Holiday missed the last three games of the Magic series. It’s unknown how effective he’ll be coming back from injury.
It can’t just be that Tatum and Brown show on the offensive end of the floor. Someone needs to be a reliable No. 3 option, and Porzingis is best suited for this role.
The good news for the Celtics is the Knicks seem to bring out the best in Porzingis. He loves playing against his former team. The veteran center averaged 24.5 points and two blocks per game, while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent on 3-pointers versus the Knicks in the regular season. Since joining the C’s, Porzingis is averaging 22.4 points versus New York.
Porzingis scored 34 points in an overtime victory against the Knicks at MSG on April 8.
Porzingis’ ability to score from anywhere on the floor and defend the rim against Knicks drives to the paint (especially Jalen Brunson) will play a pivotal role in this series.
Knicks will win the series if…
The Knicks’ role players step up.
Jalen Brunson averaged 26.8 points per game against the Celtics in the regular season. If he’s healthy enough to play, he can score 30-plus any night. You can count on him to provide strong offensive production. The same can’t be said for many of his teammates.
Even if Karl-Anthony Towns plays well in Round 2 — and that’s a serious IF, because he struggled at times versus the C’s this season — the Knicks will still need a few other players to step up.
OG Anunoby averaged 18 points per game in the regular season, but only nine per game against the Celtics. Boston limited him to a 29.6 field goal percentage and a 13.3 3-point percentage. He also struggled defending Jayson Tatum.
The same goes for Mikal Bridges, who scored just 13.8 points per game versus the Celtics and shot 31.8 percent from beyond the arc in those matchups. Bridges is a very good defensive player, but you wouldn’t know it by watching him defend Tatum this season.
Tatum scored 35 points on 13-for-19 shooting when Bridges was the primary defender in their four regular season matchups.
One of the reasons why the Knicks gave up so many draft picks to acquire Bridges last summer was for him to guard the best wing players New York would face in the playoffs, including Tatum and Brown.
It’s impossible for the Knicks to win this series if Bridges and Anunoby don’t contribute at an elite level, especially defensively against the Jays.
Odds
The Celtics are favored to win the series.
- Celtics to win series: -800
- Knicks to win series: +550
Prediction
Celtics in five.
The Celtics are a bad matchup for the Knicks. They also have homecourt advantage, much more playoff experience, a deeper roster and the best player in the series in Tatum. Boston is a little banged up, so injuries could definitely be a factor, but it’s probably going to take a near-perfect effort from New York to pull off the upset.
Celtics vs. Knicks second-round playoff preview, odds and prediction
The East rivals are set to meet for eighth time in their playoff history.
A new chapter in the classic rivalry between Boston and New York will be written over the next two weeks when the Celtics and Knicks clash in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Celtics are the defending champions and eliminated the Orlando Magic in five games in the first round. The Knicks dispatched the Detroit Pistons in six games.
This is the first Celtics-Knicks playoff series since 2013, and it’s the first time they’ve met in the postseason after the first round since 1984, when the Celtics defeated the Knicks in Game 7 of the conference semifinals. Boston is 4-3 all-time in playoff series versus the Knicks.
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The Knicks made two blockbuster trades in the offseason to acquire center Karl-Anthony Towns and forward Mikal Bridges. The hope for the Knicks was that those moves would give them a better chance to beat top contenders in the East like the Celtics. But the Knicks went 0-4 against the Celtics in the regular season, and three of those losses were by 13 or more points.
The Knicks had no answers for Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum in those four games. Tatum averaged 33.5 points on 53.5 percent shooting and 47.8 percent from 3-point range. His efficient scoring helped the Celtics put up 125 points per game against the Knicks.
Boston also shot 50 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent on 3-pointers. If the Knicks’ defense doesn’t improve dramatically, this will be a short series.
Will the Celtics continue their dominance over the Knicks and advance to the conference finals for the fourth straight season? Or will the Knicks pull off the upset and get to the conference finals for the first time since 2000?
Check out our full Celtics-Knicks preview below:
Series schedule
- Game 1: Monday, May 5 in Boston
- Game 2: Wednesday, May 7 in Boston
- Game 3: Saturday, May 10 in New York
- Game 4: Monday, May 12 in New York
- Game 5: Wednesday, May 14 in Boston*
- Game 6: Friday, May 16 in New York*
- Game 7: Monday, May 19 in Boston*
- *If necessary
Regular season head-to-head
Oct. 22 at Boston: Celtics 132, Knicks 109
Feb. 8 at New York: Celtics 131, Knicks 104
Feb. 23 at Boston: Celtics 118, Knicks 105
April 8 at New York: 119 Celtics, Knicks 117 (OT)
Celtics vs. Knicks stats comparison
Here’s a breakdown of Boston and New York’s season stats and NBA rankings from the 2024-25 season.
Celtics will win the series if…
Kristaps Porzingis continues to dominate his former team.
Porzingis has been inconsistent in the 2025 playoffs so far. He scored 20 points in Game 2 against the Magic and 19 points in Game 4. But he only chipped in five points in Game 1, seven points in Game 3 and nine points in Game 5. He also pulled down less than 10 rebounds in four of five games versus Orlando.
The Celtics need a lot more from Porzingis, especially as a scorer, to beat the Knicks. Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard struggled to make a consistent impact offensively in Round 1. Jrue Holiday missed the last three games of the Magic series. It’s unknown how effective he’ll be coming back from injury.
It can’t just be that Tatum and Brown show on the offensive end of the floor. Someone needs to be a reliable No. 3 option, and Porzingis is best suited for this role.
The good news for the Celtics is the Knicks seem to bring out the best in Porzingis. He loves playing against his former team. The veteran center averaged 24.5 points and two blocks per game, while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent on 3-pointers versus the Knicks in the regular season. Since joining the C’s, Porzingis is averaging 22.4 points versus New York.
Porzingis scored 34 points in an overtime victory against the Knicks at MSG on April 8.
Porzingis’ ability to score from anywhere on the floor and defend the rim against Knicks drives to the paint (especially Jalen Brunson) will play a pivotal role in this series.
Knicks will win the series if…
The Knicks’ role players step up.
Jalen Brunson averaged 26.8 points per game against the Celtics in the regular season. If he’s healthy enough to play, he can score 30-plus any night. You can count on him to provide strong offensive production. The same can’t be said for many of his teammates.
Even if Karl-Anthony Towns plays well in Round 2 — and that’s a serious IF, because he struggled at times versus the C’s this season — the Knicks will still need a few other players to step up.
OG Anunoby averaged 18 points per game in the regular season, but only nine per game against the Celtics. Boston limited him to a 29.6 field goal percentage and a 13.3 3-point percentage. He also struggled defending Jayson Tatum.
The same goes for Mikal Bridges, who scored just 13.8 points per game versus the Celtics and shot 31.8 percent from beyond the arc in those matchups. Bridges is a very good defensive player, but you wouldn’t know it by watching him defend Tatum this season.
Tatum scored 35 points on 13-for-19 shooting when Bridges was the primary defender in their four regular season matchups.
One of the reasons why the Knicks gave up so many draft picks to acquire Bridges last summer was for him to guard the best wing players New York would face in the playoffs, including Tatum and Brown.
It’s impossible for the Knicks to win this series if Bridges and Anunoby don’t contribute at an elite level, especially defensively against the Jays.
Odds
The Celtics are favored to win the series.
- Celtics to win series: -800
- Knicks to win series: +550
Prediction
Celtics in five.
The Celtics are a bad matchup for the Knicks. They also have homecourt advantage, much more playoff experience, a deeper roster and the best player in the series in Tatum. Boston is a little banged up, so injuries could definitely be a factor, but it’s probably going to take a near-perfect effort from New York to pull off the upset.
