For the first time since 2013, the Boston Celtics will face the New York Knicks in the playoffs. This will be the 16th playoff series between the two, with the Celtics leading the all-time series eight to seven. While the rivalry isn’t as close as it was at its peak, this series will feature big names and two passionate fan bases.
Although the consensus throughout NBA discourse is that the Celtics will win, the playoffs are a different animal, and the Knicks are going to want revenge. Here are three keys for the Celtics to win the series versus the Knicks.
1. Get Back to the 3’s
In the regular season, the Celtics were first in the league with attempted three-pointers with 48.2, but were held to 30.4 attempts in the series versus the Magic. Because the Magic have numerous players capable of guarding one through five, they let the Celtics take shots inside the arc by guarding above the three-point line, forcing the Celtics off their game.
The Celtics will want to get back to shooting more threes, as showcased in the season series with the Knicks; they don’t have the depth or physicality to match them. Even with OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, the Knicks have failed to slow down Celtic threes.
The Celtics averaged 48.2 attempted threes against the Knicks this season, hitting 43.5% of their threes, notably going 29/61 in their first matchup. These games between the two have shown that the Knicks have been unsuccessful in forcing the Celtics off their game.
Jayson Tatum has been a Knicks killer this season, averaging 33.5 points, 7 assists, and 6.8 rebounds, shooting 47.8% from three. Tatum, along with Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, finished top seven in the league in three-pointers made, and the Celtics finished first in the league in three-pointers made with 1,457.
Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks are bound to throw something new at the Celtics, but they must continue their “killer whale” offense, as the Knicks have yet to stop it.