It’s official—the Boston Celtics are no longer the top danger in the Eastern Conference.
since it was just ended by the New York Knicks.
Some would contend that this has already been resolved—long ago, even.
The acquisition of OG Anunoby at the end of 2023 proved to be quite significant, balancing and broadening the rotation at both ends of the floor in a way that was obviously rational.
Even though New York secured the second seed in the East, there was still significant room for argument over this topic due to injuries near the top of the roster, including Anunoby’s own.
After the Knicks went two games without losing in the 2024 NBA playoffs, there was no longer any reason to hedge.
If there was any doubt, it vanished with Monday night’s 104-101 Game 2 triumph over the Philadelphia 76ers. It was a rough and tumble victory that was summed up by the mayhem that broke out in the last 30 seconds of play.
In addition to being most revered and remembered for whatever the hell happened here and the double “BANG!” it warranted, this mini-stretch
Additionally, when Tyrese Maxey dared to try finishing at the rim, Isaiah Hartenstein did something that was, well, extremely Isaiah Hartenstein of him:
Barely holding serve against the seven-seed at home is usually no need to make big statements. The Sixers, however, are not your typical play-in squad. Joel Embiid and Maxey are the skeleton keys that open the door to real competition.
Embiid is not himself, in fact. He’s simply not. He may have made his left meniscus injury worse by passing to himself off the backboard in Game 1, which kept him out of action for almost two months.
(Short aside: Embiid’s leg seemed to hurt more during the landing than during the takeoff, and this self-oop was not very dramatic. Saying he made a mistake is the same as telling him not to jump. Furthermore, he shouldn’t be playing if he can’t jump.)
Above all, Embiid’s health should be taken seriously. By the conclusion of Game 2, he was hardly able to walk around the floor. It’s absurd that he blocked and discouraged attempts within the paint for almost 39 minutes, finishing with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 block.
Embiid and the Sixers will also cite further restrictions that have kept them from taking a 2-0 series lead of their own:
Doubtful non-calls are undoubtedly a part of the storyline for Game 2. But take this as your polite reminder that no result is dependent on a few cheers or no cheers, not even when your beloved team is embroiled in controversy. For the majority of Game 2, the Sixers were ahead, and they played more than 47 minutes of basketball to establish and preserve this advantage.
But Philly isn’t the topic here. Not straight forward. This is about the Knicks, a team that consistently produces huge wins despite their own limitations.
They could not have been able to be here at all, holding the No. 2 seed in the East, if not for injuries. Their projected starting center, Mitchell Robinson, had left ankle surgery and missed the majority of the season. Their second-most crucial shot creator, Julius Randle, hasn’t played since January 27 due to a dislocated right shoulder that eventually needed surgery.
Midway through the season, New York made significant roster changes. Most notably, Anunoby was acquired in exchange for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, who subsequently missed nearly two months due to a right elbow injury.
The Knicks aren’t the only team that does this. The severity with which injuries affect their starting lineups is striking, yet clubs struggle with prolonged absences. It is just a part of the ordeal that is the NBA season.
In many respects, New York even profited from its adversity, setting out on a months-long journey of self-discovery that is currently helping them.
Robinson’s absence created a fresh reliance on Hartenstein, who increased his offensive facilitation and concluded the regular season as a fringe All-Defense candidate (if he were eligible for inclusion). Barrett and Quickley’s exits paved the door for Deuce McBride’s minutes, with all of their timely shooting and fierce defense.
Well, a lot resulted from Randle’s absence as well as the roster turnover.
Donte DiVincenzo is tearing up the downtown scene with unprecedented volume and effectiveness. The only other players to have seasons in which they played in excess of 2,000 minutes, attempted over 15 triples per 100 possessions, and made them at a 40 percent rate are Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Josh Hart is one player who may never leave a game again. He was a dominant player who set the tempo, pulled down rebounds, and created plays.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau, whose opinions on minute management remain unchanged, has shown a degree of flexibility hardly seen in the (ostensibly) inflexible, unrepentant curmudgeon on the hot seat just eighteen months prior. He is empirically different, if not reinvented, from smaller 4s and three-guard lineups to a less predictable offensive structure and a stomach for three-point volume.
Hell, Leon Rose’s front staff assembled New York’s unmatched depth over years and then had the audacity and vision to radically alter things. For the most part, the Anunoby acquisition speaks for itself. Although Bojan Bogdanović’s impact has been gradual, it is now paying off in the form of crucial three-point makes at the crucial moment.
Oh, and Jalen Brunson is there. He has turned a team that couldn’t function without him into a career year that should win MVP honors. The Knicks, with their depth and his rise to the superstar ranks, are precisely what their postseason placement indicates: the East’s best chance of stopping the Celtics’ seemingly unstoppable run to the NBA Finals.
Granted, Brunson’s postseason is far from spectacular. He is shooting 16.7 percent on threes (2 of 12) and 32.6 percent on twos (14 of 43) through two games. The Sixers have thrown everything at him, and once he gets in the paint, their size and pressure have clearly put him off balance. However, he has also missed a significant number of makeable chances from floater range, even by his own standards.
And that’s kind of the purpose, too. Brunson isn’t quite at his best yet. (He should be commended for creating a scene in traffic.) Against a squad that is generally regarded as not your typical seventh seed, New York leads 2-0.
Nothing suggests that things will change right now. The depth of the Knicks is not going away. Their dedication to the offensive glass is also lacking. (Against Philly, they’re boarding 41.4 percent(!) of their own misses.) They need Brunson to be more productive, but let’s face it: no team can contend for the Finals without having its best player—let alone its star—playing at the peak of his abilities.
The Knicks are also equipped to tinker and futz in the interim while they wait for a signature Brunson explosion—and, most importantly, to win ugly if necessary. They defeated the Toronto Raptors in 2019 (who coincidentally won a championship) in Game 1 of the playoffs, despite shooting a dismal 35.7 percent from outside the arc. They are the first team to accomplish this feat.
These two games by no means impact New York’s perception of “Who’s the biggest threat to Boston?” It has repeatedly and over again earned this equity during the entire season.
And, let’s face it, there’s a certain amount of “If not the Knicks, then who?” going on here. Because, really, who else would win if not the Knicks?
A Milwaukee Bucks club without Giannis Antetokounmpo (left calf) and one that has rarely been able to sustain its momentum for longer than a few weeks at a time? Oh.
It’s true that the Miami Heat exhibit strange behaviors throughout the postseason (refer to 2020, 2022, and 2023). However, they can only use so much otherworldly magic against the Celtics with Jimmy Butler (right MCL) and Terry Rozier (neck) sidelined and an offense that, even when healthy, frequently looks to be playing below capacity.
If the first game serves as a guide, the Indiana Pacers are extremely talented, provided that Pascal Siakam’s poise and skill don’t catch on. About one caps-lock shooter separates the Orlando Magic from becoming a caps-lock shooter.
Eliminating the Sixers seems inhumane. But do we really think Embiid’s knee will withstand this? If the response is “yes,” can we also have faith that their entire business won’t be jeopardized by the non-Embiid minutes? or that it is feasible for 38-year-old Kyle Lowry to become their third-most vital player?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently the only practical option. Additionally, they should be put to the test in Round 2 against Boston after soaring to a 2-0 series lead over Orlando. However, their offense is still susceptible to errors, and even when healthy this season, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley have shown unpredictable swings.
It goes without saying that the Knicks are in the same boat. Their performance has a certain vulnerability because of their reliance on offensive rebounding, Josh Hart’s heavy workload, the one-star model of it all, their inability to create reliable high-end shots other than those from that one star, the condition of Anunoby’s elbow, Randle’s absence, and so on.
But when do we finally concede that the Knicks are a successful result of their depth, talent mix, and connectedness rather than something that exists on the periphery or above their heads?
New York is not flawless; it is not done. Greetings from the Eastern Conference playoffs, where everything is left undone and incomplete except for the Celtics, who might easily go to the NBA Finals. However, they could also have to earn it by defeating and enduring a Knicks club that, in spite of all of its shortcomings, keeps demonstrating that they are the most dangerous of the unfinished and imperfect.
For who else would it be if not these Knicks?
