Knicks vs. Celtics Series Preview

Detroit's Bad Boys attempted to batter New York into submission with brute force and roundhouse rights. Boston will look to jab the Knicks to death, using cutting, spacing and ball movement...

With the rough-and-tumble Pistons finally in the rearview mirror, New York can focus on the sharp-shooting Boston Celtics.

From a Knicks perspective, the preparation for the two teams couldn't be more dissimilar.

I apologize for forgetting the actual phrase and the writer who originally penned it, but when Steph Curry first rose to superstardom, it was said that while previous dominant big men such as Shaq would smash opponents until they shattered, Steph simply bent your defense until it broke. That's the difference between the Pistons and the Celtics.

Detroit's Bad Boys Vol. 2 attempted to batter New York into submission with brute force and roundhouse rights. Boston will look to jab the Knicks to death, using cutting, spacing and movement to generate three-pointers from every conceivable angle.

They say styles make fights, so let's get right into it and preview this series by breaking down each positional matchup…

🏀 Point Guard:
Jalen Brunson vs. Jrue Holiday

What is there left to say about Brunson at this point? He put up plenty of points against a tough Detroit defense and hit a game-ending, series-clinching shot for the ages to send the Pistons packing and the Knicks onto round two.

Brunson has appeared in 20 playoff games over the past 12 months and has averaged 32.6 points and 7.5 assists vs. just 2.7 turnovers per game. The only players in NBA history to average more than 32 points, more than seven dimes and fewer than three TOs over a 20-game span in the postseason are LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Decent company.

The Knicks, for good reason, are the massive underdogs in this series (Vegas has installed the C's as a -750 favorite, which means they believe there is an 88.2% likelihood that Boston will win this series). If New York is somehow able to pull off the massive upset, it will likely be because the Knicks find a way to stay close in four games, and Captain Clutch takes over down the stretch of those contests.

Brunson has scored more than twice as many playoff points in the clutch as every other player in the NBA over the past two years. He's scored 40+ points in the postseason eight times in his career, which is more such games than the entire Celtics roster combined.

Nonetheless, the Celtics have the type of versatile, lengthy, elite athletes who can give Brunson fits, including Jrue Holiday, one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the league. However, the 34-year-old Holiday missed the final three games of Boston's first-round series vs. Orlando due to a right hamstring strain.

Speaking with reporters on Friday, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla didn't clarify whether Holiday would be available for Game 1 Monday night (a full 12 days after he initially injured the hammy in Game 2). "Day to day," Mazzulla said. "He's getting better every day. Doing everything he can to make sure he puts himself in position to try and come back as fast as he can. He's working hard."

Yet, Holiday took a significant step forward on Saturday, participating in the team's practice. "He was able to do everything that we worked on," Mazzulla said. "He's getting better every day."

EDGE: Knicks

🏀 Shooting Guard:
Mikal Bridges vs. Derrick White

Bridges has had an up-and-down season, but he is coming off one of his best games as a Knick, as he tallied 25 points (on 11-of-16 shooting), four rebounds and three assists against the Pistons in Game 6 on Thursday. He also did a great job keeping Cade Cunningham in check when he switched onto the Pistons' PG. Per NBA tracking data, Bridges was the primary defender on Cunningham for 85 possessions, in which Cade shot just 11-for-29 from the floor (38%) and had more turnovers (8) than assists (6).

Yet, this is the series New York had in mind when they gave up five first-round picks for Bridges nine months ago. The hope/expectation was that Bridges could slow down the Celtics' dynamic duo of Brown and Tatum. In order to advance, New York needs Bridges to contribute on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he needs to knock down three-pointers and attack the paint when it opens up.

White tends to fly under the radar due to the glut of talent in the C's starting five, but the dude is such an impactful all-around player. Like Josh Hart, he was acquired via midseason trade, and like Hart, White is an absolutely perfect fit with his new club.

He torched New York during the regular season, averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists, while slashing a scorching 54% from the floor, 54% from downtown and 100% across four games. White scored more points vs. New York in the regular season than any other opponent. He was one of only two players to tally more than 70 points, more than 20 rebounds, and more than 20 assists against NY in 2024-25. (The other was Tatum.)

There are plenty of problems for NY to focus on, but they can't forget about White, who has proven he can cripple them on either end of the floor.

EDGE: Even