The Knicks have their work cut out for them in round 2

After beating the Pistons in 6 in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Knicks are moving on to the semifinals against a familiar foe in the Boston Celtics. Arguably one of the best teams in the league and the defending champions, the Celtics are coming off a dominant first round series win against the Magic. This is going to be the Knicks' biggest test of the year against a team that had their number in the regular season, beating them four times.

This series feels like a mismatch for the Knicks, given their glaring weaknesses on defense and inconsistent offensive production outside of Jalen Brunson. They have to have a sense of urgency from tip in Game 1 and play at a high level throughout the series if they're to have a fighting chance. This one could determine the job security of a number of Knicks coaches and players, and the makeup of this team could once again look different if a second-round exit for the third year in a row were to come to fruition.

With all that said, away we go into the Knicks-Celtics Eastern Conference clash.

First round results

Knicks: Defeated the Detroit Pistons in six games on the back of Jalen Brunson, who averaged 31.5 points, 8.2 assists, and 4 rebounds, per StatMuse.

Celtics: Defeated the Orlando Magic in five games while clearly dominating with an average margin of victory of 13 points throughout the series. Jayson Tatum averaged 31.3 points and 11.3 rebounds, per StatMuse.

As I mentioned above, this is going to be a test coming off a hard fought battle against a young and tough Pistons team. The Celtics, led by the likes of Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis, are a matchup nightmare for this Knicks team, given this Knicks is built almost entirely around Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns' success on offense. The bench has struggled to contribute and defense, primarily on the perimeter, has been a weakness all season long. Not to mention, in the 2024-2025 regular season, they lost all four matchups to the Celtics, with three of those losses coming by 13+ points.

Tom Thibodeau and the coaching staff have their work cut out for them, and the margin for error is so much smaller in this series given the quality of opponent they are matching up with. If the glaring flaws that plagued this team during the first round series - blown leads, foul trouble, inconsistent rebounding - continue in this one, then the Knicks will be packing their bags to Cancun real quick.

Series preview

We have ourselves another series to preview. I'm happy to say that I can do this one, because it was really looking like Game 7 was in sight at the tail end of that Pistons series. Our savior, Jalen Brunson, saved the day, but man was it stressful. There is a lot to unpack for this upcoming series that pits the Knicks against the Celtics in the playoffs for the first time since the 2012-2013 season when Carmelo Anthony led that Knicks squad to a 4-2 series win.

When the Knicks are on defense:

• The struggle for this Knicks squad is when their opponent has the ball. Their perimeter defense has been a question mark all season long and it was apparent in the first round that was still a weak spot. Thibs has to get these guys to do some shell drills or something because their rotations were god awful in that series. The Celtics shot 37.8% from beyond the arc in the first round, which is five percentage points higher than what the Pistons shot (32.4%), per NBA.com. If the Knicks let this happen, it will be a quick end to this year's playoff run. Listen; the Celtics are a tough team and finish well at the rim, but if I'm Tom Thibodeau and had to focus on one area to stop it would be their three point efficiency. With how well this Celtics team shoots and the fire they can catch from outside, the Knicks need to combat that early and force the ball inside. I'd rather they test their luck at the rim than let the perimeter defense crumble, which could easily lead to collapse.

When the Knicks are on offense:

• This is where they need to take control. Brunson and Towns have to play off of each other and hit shots on this stingy Celtics defense that held the Magic to 26% from beyond the arc in the first round. They are a top offensive team when clicking, and that means contributions from all guys within the starting five.

• I believe a key piece to how this all comes together will be dependent on Mikal Bridges' efficiency. He has had an up-and-down year 1 with the Knicks, which has led to speculation that they gave up way too much to acquire him - in the sum of five first round picks. Having him as a third scoring option would be a massive boost, taking pressure off of their two all-stars to score and force shots. He was awesome in Game 6 against Detroit, shooting almost 70% from the field while scoring 25 points, plus a game-defining putback. If he gets going, even hits a few more threes than usual, then the Knicks could have a chance.

Final Thoughts

The Celtics are one of the best teams in the league for good reason. If it weren't for the incredible season that the Cavaliers had, they would be the one-seed yet again. They won 61 games, ranked 8th in team points per game and 2nd in opponent points allowed per game. They have depth and ranked in the top-5 in offensive and defensive rating during the regular season. I flat out don't love this matchup for the Knicks whatsoever and expect there to be many highs and lows throughout the series. Let's be real, I'm expecting more lows than highs.

But come playoff time, anything is possible. There needs to be a clear gameplan in place and constant offensive efficiency to ensure the Knicks compete in this series. I'm hoping for a close one, and we will see what happens in Game 1 as the two familiar foes face off for what should be a David vs Goliath show down.