As a wise man once said, the sun rises in the east. A statement that even reigns true in the world of Sports. Most importantly, the NBA’s Eastern Conference has historically been more competitive and gritty compared to its Western counterparts’ emphasis on prestige and class. You can even argue that the East has boasted memorable, engaging playoff series this year. Whether it was the fast tempo Indiana Pacers knocking out the Milwaukee Bucks in 5 or the New York Knicks barely escaping the rejuvenated Bad Boy energy of the Detroit Pistons – the first round had seen a bunch of entertaining games from the East. However, now that we’re in the 2nd Round – the fierceness has not stopped. One that has led to a matchup that Sports fans have long awaited: the Boston Celtics Vs. the New York Knicks.
In general, the sports rivalries between Boston and New York have been rather intense. Giants and Patriots, Yankees and Red Sox – the confrontations are documented and deeply rooted. I guess you can argue that rivalry could extend to the Civil War period, but that’s another discussion. Anyways, those cities do not like each other and have insanely rowdy fanbases. Which bleeds into the NBA as both franchises are storied and among the remaining charter franchises dating back to 1946. The difference being that the Celtics are the most successful organization in NBA history, with 18 championships and over 3,000 wins. Meanwhile, the Knicks have mostly been an irrelevant franchise – an insane viewpoint when they are located in the mecca. Eras of the Early 70s championships, Patrick Ewing led teams, and the arrival of Carmelo Anthony weren’t enough to sustain the Knicks legacy of horrible decisions, management, and draft picks. An issue that became a theme with James Dolan and MSG up until Julius Randle’s ascension as an all-star in 2021, a season that begat the era of success the franchise is dwelling in now.
The New York Knicks put up such an aggressive, defensive tactic that caught their green and white opponent off guard. Their defensive personnel in OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart proved to be too much. The former did an excellent job in guarding Jayson Tatum and the latter two were crucial in the development of the game. Mikal also guarded JT, and others all while ending the game stealing Jaylen Brown’s possession: capped off with 8 points, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. The real heroes were both Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby – both leading the game with 29 points. The Knicks won 108 -105 in an overtime thriller.
The defending champs did not like themselves that night. The Boston Celtics shot 15 for 60 in their 3-point attempts – a low for a team that chose to live and die by the 3. Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had 23 points. Brown’s shooting performance was rather awful and was a big factor in the team’s 45 missed 3’s. Jrue Holiday did indeed return and stepped in the clutch but it wasn’t enough for the Celtics to win. If they need to win the next game, they have to adapt to their opponent’s playstyle at hand or else they’ll be in Cancun for the rest of the summer.
The Knicks Vs the Celtics battle will continue in Game 2 tonight at 7 PM ET on TNT. TD Garden was not happy about the Celtics performance, so the team better pull out a great performance or else.
